From T20I Exile To Captaincy: How Shreyas Iyer Completed His Mega Comeback
Shreyas Iyer has emerged as the top contender to replace Suryakumar Yadav as the Indian cricket team T20I captain and if reports are to be believed, then the official announcement should come on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer has emerged as the top contender to replace Suryakumar Yadav as the Indian cricket team T20I captain and if reports are to be believed, then the official announcement should come on Saturday. While there are not many people who will doubt the calibre of a player like Shreyas, it is almost shocking that the last time that he played in a T20I match for India was back in December 2023. Since then, he was snubbed twice for T20 World Cups and did not even find a place in the Asia Cup squad. However, that did not dampen his spirits and in the almost 30 months that he stayed away from the national side, he won the IPL title once, led Punjab Kings to the final next season and is now on the verge of completing a stunning comeback story.
A Tale Of Rejections
Despite guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, Shreyas did not find a spot in the T20 World Cup squad. It came as a surprise to many experts or fans but there was a feeling that he was still not the middle-order batter who was undroppable by the selectors. For KKR, he scored just 351 runs in 15 matches that season and although he completed a stunning journey after getting dropped from the BCCI central contracts in 2023, his exclusion showed that the selectors were just not convinced.
A move to Punjab Kings followed ahead of IPL 2025 and the price tag of Rs 26.75 crore was probably a good indication of how much he was valued by the franchises. Shreyas did not disappoint as he slammed 604 runs and led by example as his team reached the final before losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Selectors were once again put on high alert but he once again found him in the rejection list when it came to Asia Cup 2025 as well as T20 World Cup 2026. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar hinted that it was not the player's fault and he was once again overlooked in favour of T20I specialists.
The Winds Of Change
While Shreyas continued to show his good run of form, things were going downhill for Suryakumar Yadav. The explosive batter led India to the World Cup title in 2026 but the murmurs never ceased over his batting form. A poor show in the Asia Cup as well as the World Cup did not soothe the nerves and soon, fans as well as experts started having their doubts.
Cut to IPL 2026 and Suryakumar was once again unsuccessful in impressing everyone with his batting. Just 260 runs in 13 matches for him and with Mumbai Indians finishing ninth in the points table, there was no place to hide for the star batter.
In contrast, Shreyas continued to play big knocks and his batting form was one of the main reasons behind PBKS winning their first six games in IPL 2026. While a dramatic dip in form ultimately resulted in the team not reaching the Playoffs, Shreyas once again finished the tournament with 498 runs at an average of 55.33.
Time For A New Leader?
With the selectors focusing on T20 World Cup 2028 and the LA Olympics, a new leader is being considered to take over the reins of the national team. Suryakumar's form led to the selectors looking at alternatives and Shreyas has become the biggest talking point with his leadership record as well as a proven option to bat at No. 4. While Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma were also names that made headlines, it is his experience of leadership that handed Shreyas a huge advantage.
While nothing is official as of now, it seems like India are on the verge of a major leadership change and if the transition is indeed completely, Shreyas' comeback story will be nothing short of a blockbuster movie script.
India Cricket Team