At 35, Suryakumar Yadav has experienced the thrill of becoming a World Cup-winning captain. On Sunday, when India created history by becoming the first team to defend the T20 World Cup crown, not many may have realised that Surya also became the second-oldest captain to win the tournament, behind his former India teammate and skipper Rohit Sharma. Surya was already 30 when he made his India debut. In Indian cricket, not many manage to build a long career from that stage, but Suryakumar, who has always believed in “getting the right things at the right time”, is now reaping the rewards. With this triumph, Surya has ticked another huge box. As if becoming India’s longest-serving No. 1-ranked T20I batter wasn’t enough, and as if scoring T20I centuries in England, South Africa, New Zealand and against Sri Lanka wasn’t enough, Suryakumar Yadav is now a T20 World Cup-winning captain. Fittingly, the triumph came at the same venue where he faced criticism after struggling against Australia in the 2023 World Cup final. From enduring that disappointment to last night’s historic achievement, the journey feels both fitting and richly deserved.
That being said, it brings us to an interesting stage in Suryakumar Yadav’s career. In his mid-30s, his India career likely has more days behind him than ahead. During the post-match press conference, he may have revealed his next goal – to win an Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but here’s the catch: he would be 37 by the time the Games come around. With youngsters knocking on the door and an eye already on the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, Surya could have a mountain to climb in the squad. For now, he remains the captain and is likely to hold that role at least for the remainder of the year, if not longer. But just as the BCCI has begun planning succession in ODIs, the transition in T20Is may not be too far away. The selectors are likely already keeping an eye on their next captain.
Who that might be is anyone’s guess. Last year, the obvious choice was Shubman Gill, but after a string of failures, India’s ODI and Test captain was shown the door. Gill is still only 26, and with the team management having moved past Hardik Pandya long ago due to workload management concerns, the possibility of Gill earning a recall, considering the bigger picture, cannot be ruled out. Indian cricket has never been a firm believer in the split captaincy theory. Hence, with Gill already leading two formats, it could only be a matter of time before he takes over entirely.
Suryakumar’s immediate next move
Where does that leave Suryakumar Yadav? First and foremost, he needs to find a way to score runs at a rate of knots again – the same barrage that earned him an India call-up and defined his scintillating 2022 season, when he hammered 1164 runs in 31 innings at an average of 46.5 and a strike rate of 187.8. It’s not something beyond him. In fact, Surya has built a career on defying the odds. The fact that he now plays just one format for India also gives him more time to recalibrate.
The immediate next step is the IPL 2026, where Surya will turn up for the Mumbai Indians and have at least 14 matches to rediscover his groove. Going through the entire 2025 without a single fifty was a tough pill to swallow, and although he struck four fifties in five matches in and around the T20 World Cup, the last few games have again been a bit of a struggle by his lofty standards. Surya is far from his free-flowing best, and he would know it. The IPL, after all, is what made him; the tournament that first brought him to the selectors’ notice. Last season, he bludgeoned 717 runs, and if he can replicate even 70 per cent of that, Surya should be in good stead.
India’s next T20Is are in June – five of them in England – before three each against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, provided the series goes ahead. In September-October, India are scheduled to play 10 more T20Is: five against West Indies and five against New Zealand. Rest assured, Suryakumar Yadav is unlikely to feature at the Asian Games, just as he didn’t in 2023. Three more T20Is in December will cap off the year. In between these 24 T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav’s fate could very well be decided.
