Why Suryakumar Yadav Had To Go

Suryakumar Yadav had a hand in India’s back-to-back Twenty20 World Cup wins in Barbados in 2024 and Ahmedabad 2026. First, he converted a bunny hop catch to dismiss South African David Miller in the final in Barbados and two years later, he was at the helm of affairs in India. Yet, the selection committee has dropped him now from the team for the immediate Twenty20 engagements — lack of runs from his blade is the only reason the fans and others can surmise, especially so with the 2028 World Cup more than two years away in Australia and New Zealand. Yadav would have turned 38 then, and the committee felt the circumstances were right to look beyond Yadav in the shortest format of the game. Yadav was far from his best in the World Cup, scoring just 242 from nine matches. In the Asia Cup he made only 72 in seven matches. Against Australia he made only 84 in five, against South Africa 34 in four and against New Zealand 242 in five. The downhill started when he made only 26 in four matches in South Africa and 28 in five against England at home. One can say he was lucky to hold his place after the home series against England and after the Asia Cup; he was going through a rut! With Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer returning to the “good books”, Yadav had to go. Ajit Agarkar & company made Iyer captain; he lost six matches in a row as the Punjab Kings missed the playoffs bus. The selection committee may have felt that Tilak Varma is not ready yet to take up the stewardship of the Men in Blue Twenty20 team.