Suryakumar Yadav has publicly backed Shreyas Iyer after losing the India T20I captaincy to him, saying he is delighted for his fellow Mumbai player.
Back on the field
The change had been widely expected for several days. Suryakumar had struggled for consistency in T20Is, and his form also dipped in the recent IPL, which fed the debate about his future as captain.
He was quickly back in action, leading Triumph Knights Mumbai North East against SoBo Mumbai Falcons in a Mumbai T20 league game at the Wankhede Stadium. At the toss he addressed the news directly and offered his support to his successor.
Suryakumar said they have played all their cricket together in Mumbai, and that it feels wonderful that India’s last three T20 captains have all come from the city. He stressed how happy he was for Iyer.
Iyer’s T20I record
Iyer has not played a T20I since December 2023, when India met Australia in a five-match series after the ODI World Cup. In 51 T20Is he has scored 1,104 runs at an average of 30.67 and a strike rate of 136.13.
His recall, together with the captaincy, follows strong IPL performances over the past two seasons, both as a leader and as a batter.
