Not Shreyas Iyer! Ravi Shastri Endorses This T20 World Cup Hero To Succeed Suryakumar Yadav As India's Next T20I Captain
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has opened up on Suryakumar Yadav's potential successor as India's next T20I captain.
- Cricket
- 2 min read
Suryakumar Yadav led India to their 2nd T20 World Cup title earlier this year, but speculations have been rife over his leadership position in India's T20I setup. Surya's dip in form has been a real concern, and there have been reports that the BCCI might consider a fresh face as the next T20I captain.
Ravi Shastri Picks Up Suryakumar Yadav's Successor
Suryakumar's performance in the ongoing IPL 2026 has also added fuel to the speculation. The Mumbai Indians star was retained ahead of IPL 2025, but it has been a disastrous campaign for the star batter. In 11 matches, he could only manage 195 runs in IPL 2026. He took over the charge from Rohit Sharma after he decided to retire from the shortest format, but it hasn't been a smooth ride.
Shreyas Iyer has reportedly been in the running for the job. But now, Ravi Shastri has also provided his verdict on India's T20I captaincy conundrum. India's former head coach has batted for Sanju Samson to succeed Suryakumar Yadav in the T20Is. He told Sanjana Ganesan on ICC Review, “India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years.
“But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he's done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals).
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“And he's a certainty in the side, at the top of the order, extremely destructive. So I see him, this is just the start of something more you'll see from Sanju over the next two or three years.”
Sanju Samson Has Been A Vital Cog For CSK
Sanju had a slow start to his CSK career, but the 31-year-old has managed to shift gears and has already hit two centuries for his new franchise. With 430 runs in 11 matches, he has also emerged as a contender for the Orange Cap race. With CSK all set to take on Lucknow Super Giants, he needs to go all guns blazing on Friday.