India's T20 captain, Suryakumar Yadav, hasn't had a particularly stellar performance with the bat lately. In the pivotal T20 match against South Africa on December 19 in Ahmedabad, Suryakumar made a modest five runs before being dismissed by Corbin Bosch. Notably, since 2025, he hasn't scored a single half-century in T20 Internationals.
Going forward, Suryakumar Yadav is expected to lead the Indian team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. This will mark his debut as captain in an ICC tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to make an official announcement following the selection meeting on Saturday, December 20. Yadav assumed T20 leadership post the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, it might be his last ICC event as a T20 captain.
...Could Shubman Gill Be the All-Format Captain?
According to PTI news reports, after the 2026 T20 World Cup, Yadav might step down from his captaincy in this format. The report suggests that while Yadav has struggled with form for some time, it is his captaincy that keeps him on the team. Shubman Gill, the current T20 vice-captain, is a strong candidate to take over in 2026.
Following Rohit Sharma's retirement from Test cricket, Shubman Gill was appointed as the Test team captain. Despite India winning the ICC Champions Trophy, the decision to remove Rohit Sharma from the ODI captaincy surprised many. Before the Australian tour, Shubman was named captain of the ODI team, and he appears to be on track to lead India across all formats.
The decision to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as the T20 captain shocked many. Previously, he was part of the leadership group under Hardik Pandya's captaincy. After Rohit Sharma's return, Hardik became the vice-captain, maintaining this role for the 2024 T20 World Cup. It was anticipated that he would be the next T20 captain, but selectors bypassed him for Yadav.
Subsequently, Hardik Pandya was entirely removed from the leadership group and was not named vice-captain. Interestingly, Suryakumar plays under Hardik's captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians. Given the current dynamics, it's unlikely that Hardik will return to the leadership group or be appointed vice-captain post the 2026 T20 World Cup, though he remains a regular in India's white-ball teams.
