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Suryakumar Yadav is already out of India’s Test and ODI plans, and he also lost his captaincy and spot in the T20I team as well. Suryakumar Yadav has now lost his T20I captaincy to Shreyas Iyer, and even he was dropped from the T20I squad for the upcoming Ireland and England tour.
He was even overlooked for the Asian Games 2026. The decision has shocked many because Suryakumar was the man who led India to T20 World Cup glory earlier this year. But after a long struggle with the bat, the selectors have decided to move ahead without him.
Sanjay Manjrekar reacts to Suryakumar Yadav's shocking exclusion
After the announcement, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar shared his views on the decision and suggested that age and declining form have worked against the Mumbai batter. He felt that it would be really tough for Suryakumar to make a comeback, as he is already 35 years old.
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Manjrekar lamented that the right-hander didn’t work on his fitness and paid the price. He believes that T20 cricket is heavily dependent on sharp reflexes, quick reactions, and excellent hand-eye coordination, and he doesn’t think Suryakumar could get back to that extraordinary level again.
He should know that his time was up: Sanjay Manjrekar on Suryakumar Yadav
Sanjay Manjrekar said on Sony Sports: “Surya losing form at his age made me wonder if he will have a second wind in T20s and become the player he was three to four years back. He's not a 25 or 30-year-old. And as it panned out, with T20 being a hand-eye coordination game, you need to be supremely fit or young to have the kind of reflexes to meet a bat with a ball.”
Manjrekar further added, “Age is not on his side, and plus, if he could have worked on his fitness a lot more, maybe things would have been slightly different. T20 is just a hand-eye coordination game with not much technique involved. And Surya wasn't able to get back to the highs that were brilliant for us to see. It used to be incredible what he did at the T20 level. But he is a Mumbai cricketer, so he should know that his time was up.”
Suryakumar Yadav's stunning fall
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav was excellent as captain, as he led to Asia Cup and T20 World Cup glory apart from winning all the bilateral series both at home and away. He led India in 48 T20Is and won 40 of them while losing only eight, and they became one of the dangerous T20 sides.
But selectors have looked at only his batting form while making the big captaincy call. Over the last two years, Suryakumar’s performances in T20I cricket have dropped significantly. In the past 24 months, he has played 52 T20Is and averaged below 27.
The Mumbai batter’s struggles became even more noticeable in 2025, when he managed an average of only 13.62 across 21 T20I matches. His struggles continued in IPL 2026 as well. The Mumbai Indians batter finished the tournament with only 270 runs from 13 matches. However, the former captain remains one of India's greatest T20 batters, with more than 3,200 runs.
