Not Sanju Samson! Ajit Agarkar Keen To Appoint 31-Year-Old India Star As Next T20I Captain After Suryakumar Yadav: Report

Big leadership changes in Indian cricket coming up. Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India to a historic T20 World Cup title earlier this year, is now looking at an imminent snub. According to TOI, Senior Men’s Selection Committee Chairman Ajit Agarkar has reportedly zeroed in on Shreyas Iyer to be India’s next long-term T20I captain. Now the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in talks, hoping that head coach Gautam Gambhir will buy into Agarkar’s vision.

Suryakumar has come under fire for a sudden dip in batting form, along with a persistent wrist injury. And while the Mumbai Indians star has denied any injury and has publicly set his sights on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, selectors seem prepared to look ahead. Shreyas is said to be at the core of a full-fledged succession plan that Agarkar has in place for both white-ball formats. The 31-year-old Mumbaikar is viewed as the ideal man to fill the key batting position at number four, effectively replacing Suryakumar in the playing eleven.

But to make this shift takes total accord. Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir have had differences of opinion on many strategic aspects in the past, including selection templates and the use of specialists in the Test team.

“Ajit is a very strong chief selector, one of the strongest to have been in charge,” an unnamed, highly placed source revealed to TOI. “He has taken some tough calls with an eye on future and he, along with his panel, has a plan in place for the T20I captaincy and the way forward. That’s the reason Shreyas was appointed vice-captain in ODIs and was in the squad for the last bilateral series India played before the T20 World Cup. Now is he the coach’s choice? Or he has someone else in mind? And will that someone be the selectors’ choice? These are the important points of discussion,” the source added.

Sanju Samson has the advantage of recent form but his natural inconsistency means he is unlikely to get serious consideration from the key players. Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma are other young profiles in the mix.

But Shreyas has a huge competitive edge over his peers. He remains one of the most experienced and active tactical minds in the domestic circuit having led an IPL franchise to a title as captain and another to an IPL final. The call will be a test of the unity of India’s heavy-duty management as the national team readies for upcoming T20I assignments against Ireland and England.s

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