Suryakumar Yadav, India T20 World Cup winning captain was unceremoniously dropped from the team after just over 2 months after he guided the team to the title. The decision sent shockwaves throughout Indian cricket at the time but the BCCI reportedly felt it was the right time to move on and appointed Shreyas Iyer as the new captain.

In a recent interaction with Aakash Chopra, Surya finally opened up on how he was relieved of his duties, adding that while he eventually accepted the decision, he was a little disappointed.

“I smiled when my name was not there in the team. When I played with the team and whenever IO was playing, whenever I am in situations where there was pressure and things are not going my way, I have always smiled, I have relaxed. And looking back at moments, whenever I got an opportunity to do well, I have been grateful. Now with this situation, I didn’t think that something like this would happen in 2026. I thought I was preparing that going forward, I would be taking this team forward for another two years. Then the Olympics would come. Then there will be another T20 World Cup, another challenge going forward,” he said on Chopra’s YouTube channel.

Story continues below this ad

“But at the same time, what you think and what the other person is thinking are two different things. It is important to respect their thoughts as well as one’s own thoughts. If they thought that going forward, this is a better call, they took that call. But I didn’t react. Because I felt that this was their call. They took that call in that moment. Going forward, if this team can do well under someone else, no problem. Because I have seen the person they have chosen. I played a lot of cricket with Shreyas and I know he is a good player, a good human being, good captain also,” he added.

Surya’s form with the bat was a big concern and he has endured a prolonged run of poor form over the last two years, with his fortunes plummeting in the 2026 IPL season as well. While he finished his season with a half-century against the Rajasthan Royals, Surya only managed 270 runs in 13 innings, averaging 20.76 this season.

Even as he led India to their third T20 World Cup title in March, Surya’s batting has faced intense scrutiny. He was handed India T20I captaincy after Rohit Sharma retired from the format post the World Cup win in the West Indies in 2024.

“So I was not like that ‘why did they make him the captain?’ But yes, I was a little disappointed. Because you have not lost a single series in two years. You have won the World Cup and the Asia Cup. Then you want the same thing to go forward. Because when everything is going well, then why? What is the reason for the change? What is the reason for the change? It was going on in my mind. I was sitting at home for a month and a half, thinking, how can this happen? How is it possible? We just won the World Cup. Yes, IPL was not as good as how I wanted. We were sitting at home. Friends came, family came. Everyone said that it’s okay, it’s a part of life. But then, when they leave the house, we are the ones who are left and we used to talk about how this happened,” Surya said.

Story continues below this ad

“They called me 2-3 days before the team was announced. They called me, saying it’s time to move on. You saw what happened in the IPL. I didn’t react. Because it’s not my forte. That’s not how Suryakumar Yadav has ever been. Whatever call someone took, they must have thought that this was better for the team. You took the call. You told me. There is no issue. I am ready. You can call me anytime. I am still playing cricket. I will continue to play. Whenever you feel the time is right. Things are right, tell me,” he added.