Former India chief selector MSK Prasad says removing Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain now would be premature. He backs Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma and others as future leadership options.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav poses with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 trophy after India’s triumph in the tournament at Adalaj Stepwell in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat on Monday, March 09, 2026. (IANS/X/@ICC)
Former India wicketkeeper and chief selector MSK Prasad has backed Suryakumar Yadav to continue leading India’s T20I side, saying that removing him as captain at this stage would be premature despite the batter’s recent struggles with form.
With India’s selectors set to meet in Mumbai on Saturday to pick squads for the upcoming Ireland series and the five-match T20I tour of England, Suryakumar’s future as captain has become one of the key talking points ahead of the selection meeting.
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Prasad believes Suryakumar deserves more time, especially after leading India to another T20 World Cup title.
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“Overlooking Surya is not the right thing to do because he has just handed over one more Men’s T20 World Cup to us,” Prasad told IANS.
The former selector acknowledged that the Mumbai batter has endured a difficult run over the last year, including a modest IPL 2026 campaign in which he scored 270 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 147.54, registering only two half-centuries.
“I know he has gone through a rough patch in the last one to one-and-a-half years. But removing him at this stage is not the right signal. Give him a couple of series. If the lean patch continues, then you have a deputy ready to take over,” he added.
While backing Suryakumar, Prasad stressed the need for India to identify and prepare future leaders.
“Now is the time to get ready with your next leaders. If you can identify someone and make him deputy to Surya, it will be nice to see,” he said.
Axar Patel served as India’s vice-captain during their successful T20 World Cup campaign, but Prasad feels selectors should continue looking at younger leadership options for the future.
Prasad named several players who could emerge as long-term captaincy candidates, including Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Rajat Patidar.
“Hardik is one potential candidate. Shreyas is another. People like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson are also in line,” he said.
Prasad was particularly impressed by Tilak Varma’s leadership potential.
“We think Tilak Varma is the answer for the next few years for Indian cricket in the T20 format. He is not a bad choice at all.”
He also highlighted Rajat Patidar’s credentials after leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to consecutive IPL titles.
Among the available options, Shreyas appears to have the strongest leadership résumé.
The batter captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title and has also guided Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings to IPL finals. His recent appointment as India’s ODI vice-captain has further strengthened his case for a bigger leadership role in white-ball cricket.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma has regularly captained India A in white-ball cricket and is set to lead the side in the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka.
Prasad also called for workload management, suggesting that players involved in both the T20 World Cup and IPL 2026 should be rested for the Ireland and England assignments.
“After the World Cup, all the players looked jaded and exhausted in the IPL. Why not give them a break and give opportunities to those who performed in the IPL?” he said.
The former chief selector believes India can use the Ireland series to test emerging leaders and evaluate the next generation of players.
“Hand over the baton to someone like Shreyas Iyer or another future leader. Give opportunities to players who have done well and are seriously in the leadership mix, such as Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan.”
Prasad also mentioned youngsters like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as players who could benefit from greater exposure, while reiterating that several senior players appeared mentally and physically fatigued after a packed season.
“The focus should be on giving chances to the next level of players and understanding how India can move forward in the future,” he concluded.
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