Shreyas Iyer has been earmarked as India’s next T20I captain. Contrary to rumours that Shreyas and Ajit Agarkar have some sort of a gripe, the chairman of selectors has picked the Punjab Kings captain as the heir to Suryakumar Yadav.
Conspiracy had it that Agarkar has been miffed with Shreyas’ decision to skip domestic matches. The first instance was in the 2018-19 season, when Agarkar was Mumbai’s chief selector and the batter refused to play after a long India A tour. Something similar happened in the 2023-24 season when Shreyas stated that he was unfit, with back spasms, to play, but the medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) said otherwise.
Agarkar backs Shreyas Iyer
Now, whether or not any of this is true, we don’t know. Or that Agarkar doesn’t approve of Shreyas’ methods. But he believes Shreyas is the right man to take over from Suryakumar with one eye on the T20 World Cup 2028 and the Olympics. Just last year, he was promoted as India’s ODI vice-captain, a positive move for his T20I return and possible captaincy appointment in the format.
“Ajit is a very strong chief selector, one of the strongest to have been in charge. He has taken some tough calls with an eye on the future, and he, along with his panel, has a plan in place for the T20I captaincy and the way forward. That’s the reason Shreyas was appointed vice-captain in ODIs and was in the squad for the last bilateral series India played before the T20 World Cup,” a source told the Times of India.
But who does Gambhir want?
However, it isn’t as simple. India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir might not agree with Agarkar and the other selectors. He and Shreyas shared the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season. Both left thereafter.
It was reported that Shreyas felt he was not adequately recognised for his role in KKR’s title run, with Gambhir receiving most of the praise. As with the Agarkar rumour, this is unverified. For all we know, Gambhir’s reluctance for Shreyas as a leader may be due to cricketing reasons, or perhaps he has already earmarked someone to take over from Suryakumar.
There were reports suggesting that Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan might have an outside chance of taking over from Suryakumar, considering both are part of the T20I team, unlike Shreyas, and have captaincy experience in the IPL. Axar Patel was the vice-captain in the T20 World Cup 2026, so naturally he’s in the race as well.
“Now is he (Shreyas) the coach’s choice? Or he (Gambhir) has someone else in mind? And will that someone be the selectors’ choice? These are the important points of discussion. Axar Patel was the vice-captain for the World Cup; Ishan Kishan has age, form and leadership credentials; and then there is Sanju Samson’s name doing the rounds. Samson has recency bias on his side, but his inconsistency has not pleased key stakeholders,” the source added.
In the end, Agarkar and Gambhir have to see eye to eye. It seems like both realise the time to move on from Suryakumar. Whether that means he won’t be picked for away tours of Ireland or England is a different thing altogether. But they must get on the same page. Otherwise, the friction will continue and might affect Team India.
Shreyas Iyer or Suryakumar Yadav? Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar to decide India’s T20I captaincy Inside Sport India.
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