'Partly his own form': Agarkar explains decision to drop Suryakumar Yadav

India chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said Suryakumar Yadav's recent form, along with India's planning for the next T20 World Cup cycle, contributed to the decision to drop him from the T20I side.

Suryakumar, who led India to the T20 World Cup title earlier this year, was replaced by Shreyas Iyer as captain of the T20I side, something Agarkar said was "in our view, the right call."

"With regards to Surya, obviously, it's a tough one… having just won the World Cup," Agarkar said in Mumbai. "But as it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what the 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.

"Of course, it's a tough decision. Someone who led you in the World Cup, it's not the easiest thing to try and change. But like I said, we've not had any international cricket after that World Cup. Partly the form, but partly also how we go forward is always at the back of your mind. And moving ahead, with a new captain, in this case Shreyas was in our view the right call.

"We know he's been captain and just won a World Cup, so it's not the easiest conversation when you want to tell the player that. But we're doing everything in the interest of what the team needs going forward."

While Agarkar acknowledged that Suryakumar's recent form was a factor, he stressed that the decision was driven as much by long-term planning as by performances.

"I mean, you look at his performance in the last couple of years. But he was a captain who was doing really well, winning so many games. He eventually ended up winning the World Cup. Obviously, we deliberated it a lot, especially when someone led you to a World Cup. It's not the easiest sort of discussion to have, but at some stage, we were going to look at it.

"Whether the IPL form dictated it, I'm not so sure that's the case. There were always conversations around it. Like I said, because Shreyas is playing as well as he is, particularly with the bat, sometimes makes the decision a little bit easier."

Agarkar also backed Iyer's appointment, pointing to both his leadership record and recent batting form. Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and Punjab Kings to the final the following season, while also finishing IPL 2026 with a century in his last innings.

"Like I said, Shreyas is a well-deserving candidate," Agarkar said. "We've seen what he's done over the last few years, leading different franchises. He won once, had a tougher season this year after a great start. He's seen everything that a captain possibly can.

"His own performances have been really good. He was quite close to getting into that T20 World Cup squad as well, but with Surya still there, there was no room for him. He, in my opinion, was a stand-out candidate with enough experience now. This will obviously be a different challenge."