Suryakumar Yadav Named India T20I Captain: The Hardik Pandya Story That Didn’t Happen

How Suryakumar Yadav Surpassed Hardik Pandya to Become India’s T20I Captain

India captain Suryakumar Yadav has opened up on how he edged past then vice-captain Hardik Pandya to take over the T20I leadership following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in Barbados. In an exclusive interview with PTI, Yadav revealed, for the first time in over a year, how he learned of his promotion after Rohit Sharma retired from the T20I setup.

The announcement surprised many, as Pandya had captained India through the 2022-23 season during Rohit and Virat Kohli’s voluntary break. Pandya had been a standout performer in the 2024 World Cup, playing a key role in India ending their ICC trophy drought. Yet the leadership baton passed to Yadav.

“Jay Bhai [BCCI secretary Jay Shah] called me three or four days before the Sri Lanka series and told me they were making me captain going forward. But I was fairly sure the decision had been shaped by Rohit Bhai and Ajit Bhai [chief selector Ajit Agarkar],” Yadav said.

He added that former coach Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir were also involved in the discussions before the final decision was made.

Hardik Pandya Removed From Leadership

Not only did Pandya miss out on the captaincy, but he was also removed from the vice-captaincy, first replaced by Shubman Gill and later by Axar Patel.

Under Yadav’s leadership, India quickly asserted dominance in the T20I format, culminating in the T20 World Cup 2026 victory over New Zealand national cricket team in the final. India became the first team to defend the T20 World Cup title successfully and the first to win it on home soil.

Looking ahead, Yadav has set his sights on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as his next major milestone.