T20 World Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadav has finally broken his silence on the decision of his being dropped from the Indian team. Earlier this year, soon after making India the world champion under his captaincy, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar had chosen Shreyas Iyer as the new captain in place of Surya for the tour of Ireland and England. This tough decision of the selectors was considered to be due to the drought of runs from Suryakumar’s bat in the last two years. However, the Indian team did not lose a single series under his leadership.
Suryakumar Yadav’s first reaction came out
Speaking on the YouTube channel of former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, Suryakumar told about his initial reaction of being dropped from the team. He said that when he did not see his name in the team, he smiled instead of getting angry. Respecting the selectors’ decision, Surya said, ‘When my name was not there, I smiled. When the odds are against me or there is pressure I always smile and remain calm. I am grateful for the time I got.
Surya hopes to return
Referring to his captaincy and future plans, Suryakumar said that he hoped to lead the team in future as well. He said, ‘I didn’t think this would happen. After coming in 2026, I thought that I will take the team forward for the next two years, the Olympics will come and then there will be another T20 World Cup. But there is a difference between what you think and what others think. If he thought it was a better decision for the future, then he took the decision. I had no complaints because it was their decision.
Kept thinking at home for 1.5 months
Despite initial calmness, Suryakumar admitted that later it was not easy for him to digest this decision. It was disappointing for him to be dropped from the team after winning the World Cup and Asia Cup. Describing his pain, he said, ‘I was definitely a little disappointed. When you have not lost a single series in two years and have won the World Cup and Asia Cup, then you think that this trend should continue. When everything was going well then what was the reason for the change? This thing was coming to my mind again and again. I kept thinking this at home for one and a half months.
The selectors’ call came 2-3 days ago
Talking about the selection process, Surya said that 2-3 days before the official announcement of the team, the selectors had called him and told him their decision. He told, ‘He called me 2-3 days before the team announcement and said that now is the time to move on. I did not give any strong reaction because Surya was never like that. Whatever decision he took, he must have taken it only after thinking about the welfare of the team. You took the decision and told me, I have no problem.
