History With Gautam Gambhir Helped Suryakumar Yadav Claim T20I Captaincy, Says Former Indian Spinner

With Rohit Sharma retiring after the T20 World Cup and Hardik Pandya playing a key role in the title triumph, it was expected the all-rounder would be named the T20I captain. But, the selectors threw up a surprise by naming Suryakumar instead.

On Monday, Agarkar made it crystal clear that they wanted someone for the top job who will be available “more often than not” and with Pandya “fitness is a clear challenge.”

During India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir’s first official press conference in Mumbai on Monday, before the team’s departure for Sri Lanka, chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the reason behind appointing Surya as India’s captain.

“Because he’s (Surya) one of the deserving candidates. We’ve been around the group over the last year, getting feedback from the dressing room. SKY is still one of the best T20 batters in the world. One of the main issues is obviously that you want a captain who’s likely to play all the games. We think he’s a deserving candidate, and hopefully, over time, we’ll see how he develops into the role,” Agarkar said.

Additionally, he said the decision wasn’t made overnight and there has been a lot of ‘feedback from the dressing room’ too.

In addition to Agarkar’s perspective, former India spinner Pragyan Ojha chimed in on the same with his two cents, stating that the relationship that Surya holds with Gambhir might have also played a role in determining the outcome.

“I am quite sure that the selectors would have thought about it, but if you see, the T20 World Cup is in 2026. So with that they wanted someone maturity and experience. So who better than Suryakumar Yadav? Had it been Hardik – because that is what we were expecting since he was the vice-captain in the World Cup – there were few challenges that he too had to face as far as the fitness is concerned. So looking at all the dynamics, I feel Surya is a great choice,” Ojha told OneIndia.

“He is a street-smart guy. He has a great camaraderie with Gautam Gambhir. They have played together, and if you remember, when Gauti bhai was leading KKR, Surya was the vice-captain. So that understanding and that trust level is always there. Hardik, they thought that maybe fitness can trouble him. So, the next best person was Suryakumar Yadav.”

Suryakumar led India in a five-match T20I series against Australia at home last year before captaining in South Africa as well. There were reports the manner in which he handled the players during his stint left a positive impression.