T20 World Cup: Why the Dropping of Suryakumar Yadav Points to Shift In Indian Cricket

Back in 2013, when Sachin Tendulkar was getting on in years and the topic of his retirement was increasingly becoming a subject, a publication ran a cartoon that showed a room of nervous selectors, as Tendulkar walked in and brought up the subject himself. It was an amusing cartoon, one that showed just how wary everyone was about broaching the ‘R’ word with the batting maestro.

Tendulkar was of course a phenomenon unlike any other. You could even argue he had earned the right to decide when he would call quits. But this issue of retirement hasn’t been limited to just him. Countless stars have overstayed their welcome, either in search of some record or just plain unable to read the room, because the selectors and team management just couldn’t nudge the player out. This became even trickier when it came to captains.

Contrast this now with the dropping of Suryakumar Yadav. SKY, as he is popularly called, wasn’t just any cricket captain. He is one of only four Indian captains ever to win a World Cup. Not to forget what a trend-setter in T20 batting. In fact, his dropping is probably unprecedented in cricket. Just a few months back, he was on the podium, lifting the World Cup and listing out his future plans. Now, at the squad announcement for the next match, he finds himself pushed out.

You cannot however fault the selectors. Yadav’s batting had dipped over the last year, with even the recent IPL showing no signs of a likely return to form, and the selectors were looking to build a team for the next T20 World Cup, by when Yadav would have been 38. But you can’t help but sympathise with Yadav if he felt hard done. He had won India a World Cup just three months ago, and publicly expressed his wish of leading the team to the Asian Games later this year. Should he have been given a little more time before the selectors turned to someone else? Some certainly seem to think he had earned that right.

The decision by Agarkar and Co. may come across as ruthless and unsentimental, but it probably points to a new shift taking place in Indian cricket, one which is less beholden to stars and willing to take hard and even unpopular decisions if needed. Gautam Gambhir had promised to rid Indian cricket of its star culture, and you can see some of the imprint of that attitude in these decisions.

The selectors have turned to Shreyas Iyer, whose last T20 match for India came in 2023. He had struggled to get in, not for any fault of his, but because the competition for batting slots in the T20 format has just been incredible. Now he suddenly finds himself in, not just as a player, but as its captain. You would think he would do well – given the CV he has built in the IPL, where he has led his team to a trophy once, and also reached the final on two other occasions. He also seems to fit the type Agarkar and Co. were looking for – an experienced middle order batsman who can both be attacking and drop anchor if need be. And at 31, the selectors probably think he could lead the side for at least two World Cups.

But if things don’t quite go to plan, you can expect this set of selectors to change course without any hesitation.