Suryakumar Yadav's poor batting form played a role in his omission from the team and captaincy.
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain as the selectors begin planning for the next T20 World Cup cycle. Agarkar stated that the choice was influenced by Suryakumar's recent performance as well as the necessity to establish a squad for the future.
"With regards to Surya, it's a tough one, having just won the World Cup. But as it happens, after most World Cups, you try to reassess what your best way forward is. Partly his own form, but also looking at the next two-year cycle, or a little bit more than two years now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward. Like I said, Shreyas is a well-deserving captain," Agarkar said in the press conference.
Suryakumar Yadav led India to the T20 World Cup 2026, where the Men in Blue retained their T20 crown and became the first team to win the T20 World Cup thrice. However, Suryakumar Yadav’s numbers with the bat haven’t been good since taking over as India’s T20I captain on a full-time basis in 2024.
His poor form continued in IPL 2026, where Suryakumar managed 270 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54.
The selectors have instead resorted to Shreyas, who has improved his credentials as a batter and captain in recent seasons.
"With regards to Shreyas, obviously, we've seen what he's done over the last few years, leading different franchises. He's won one and reached the finals as well, and probably had a tougher season this year after a great start. So, we've seen everything that a captain possibly can. His own performances have been really good. He was quite close to getting into that World Cup squad as well. Obviously, with Surya still there, there was no room for him," Agarkar said.
Shreyas Iyer has not played a T20I game since 2023, as Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma were preferred in the middle order. He was recalled as an injury replacement during the home series against New Zealand earlier this year, but did not get a game.
Shreyas captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024, as well as the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to finals in 2020 and 2025, respectively.
His batting statistics were similarly remarkable. He scored 604 runs with a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025, followed by 498 runs at 168.81 in IPL 2026.
Agarkar said those performances, combined with Shreyas's leadership experience, made him the obvious choice to take charge of the side.
"He's, in my opinion, a standout candidate, with enough experience now, having led in the T20 format. This is obviously a different challenge,” he stated.
With Suryakumar, it marks the sudden end of a captaincy that resulted in a World Cup victory but eventually failed to withstand worries about the team's long-term trajectory and form.