Chief selector Ajit Agarkar opened up on picking Shreyas Iyer as the new captain of India’s T20I side. Notably, on Saturday, June 6, the BCCI announced India’s squads for the Ireland and England Tours as well as the Asian Games. With the announcement, the panel also revealed Iyer as the new name to lead the country in the shortest format. The change in leadership came after the Ajit Agarkar-led panel decided to move on from Suryakumar Yadav following his poor run of form.
Iyer, along with Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan was among the favorites to be named as the skipper of the side. On Saturday, the panel put an end to all the speculations naming him as the new captain of the side. On the other side, Yadav was not only dropped from the captaincy but was also excluded from the squad for the forthcoming tours as well as the Asian Games. Agarkar broke his silence on the decision as well as the exclusion of Yadav while addressing the press conference.
“With regards to Shreyas, we’ve seen what he has done over the last few years, leading different franchises. He led a team to a title, his own performances have been good, and he was close to being part of the World Cup squad. In my opinion, he was a standout candidate,” Agarkar told the media.
Ajit Agarkar opens up on Suryarkumar Yadav’s omission from T20I squad
In addition to it, Agarkar also opened up on the omission of Yadav from the T20I squad. There have been reports doing rounds that Yadav is not likely to represent India again. Speaking about dropping him from the squad despite him leading the side to their third T20 World Cup, Agarkar said that it was a tough call for the selectors while highlighting that SKY’s form had dipped over the last two years. He also added that the decision was made keeping the next two-year cycle in mind.
“With regards to SKY, it was a tough one. Partly his own form and also looking at the next two-year cycle, we thought this was the best way forward. Shreyas is well-deserving,” Agarkar told the media. Notably, the 35-year-old played a crucial role in India’s wins in the 2024 and 2026 editions of the T20 World Cup. Throughout his T20I career, Yadav played a total of 113 T20I games and scored 3,272 runs in 107 innings at a strike rate of 162.94 and an average of 36.35. He has four 100s and 25 fifties to his name in the shortest format as well.
