Sometimes even a T20 World Cup win is not enough. Ask Suryakumar Yadav. Three months after leading India to a third T20 World Cup title in March, Yadav finds himself out of the Indian T20I squads for Ireland, England and the Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer, who last played a T20 for India in December 2023, was named the new skipper for the upcoming two T20 internationals in Ireland, five matches in England and the Asian Games to be held in September and October in Japan.
The change of captaincy was expected after Suryakumar struggled with the bat at the World Cup and in the IPL. In the World Cup, he scored just 242 runs in nine innings, with his unbeaten 84 against the United States the only significant knock.
Suryakumar Yadav, after getting sacked, posted for the first time on social media. In his Instagram story, he posted a photo of the Indian team and wrote: “Wishing this highly skilled group all the best for challenges ahead.”
In a separate post, he congratulated Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on getting selected. “You have earned it and how. Super excited to follow your journey,” he wrote.
India named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in their T20 squad on Saturday, handing the 15-year-old sensation his maiden international call-up after a string of breathtaking performances in the domestic league.
Selectors also fired Suryakumar Yadav as captain following a poor run of form, just three months after he led the country to World Cup glory at home. Teenager Sooryavanshi seized the limelight with his stellar showings in the Indian Premier League, which ended last week.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he topped the batting charts with 776 runs — including one hundred, and five half-centuries — and was named the IPL’s most valuable player.
The left-handed opener could cap his stunning rise by becoming India’s youngest-ever debutant, beating Sachin Tendulkar, who played his first Test at 16 years and 205 days in 1989.
With AFP inputs
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