“If he wins the World Cup, will you do that?” - Former India pacer questions reports on Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy future

Former India pacer Madan Lal has reacted to reports suggesting that Suryakumar Yadav could be removed as captain following the 2026 T20 World Cup. According to a PTI report published by several media outlets, including India Today, the global event in India could potentially be Suryakumar’s last as T20I skipper.

Addressing the rumours during an interview with KADAK on Sunday, December 21, Madan Lal questioned whether Suryakumar Yadav would still be dropped if he were to lead the country to a World Cup victory. The 74-year-old further emphasized that Suryakumar is the kind of batter who can change the course of a game in just four or five overs. He said:

“You are saying that he should be dropped after the T20 World Cup. But if he wins the World Cup, then what will you do? That is also an important point here. If he performs well, how can you drop him? You cannot make such predictions and say that we will drop him. If his performance is good, then he will not be dropped. He will remain the captain. Also, Suryakumar Yadav is the kind of player who can put the match firmly in your favor within four or five overs. In this format of cricket, as I have said before, having a good strike rate is extremely important.”

Under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, India recently defeated South Africa 3-1 in a five-match home T20I series.

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“You should never drop a class player” - Madan Lal stands by Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill

In the same interaction, Madan Lal observed that in India, players are often heavily scrutinized, whether it is Suryakumar Yadav, who has been struggling with form, or Shubman Gill, who was left out of India’s squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, announced on December 20. Lal said:

“In our country, we tend to go after players. We went after Suryakumar Yadav, and we are going after Gill as well. I have always believed, and I have been a selector myself, that you should never drop a class player. They know how matches are won. Their ability to win matches is huge. Their strike rate is very important. They know what the job is. If I am batting, at what run rate I need to play. All these things big players understand, and I believe Gill is included in that category.” “People had also started questioning Suryakumar Yadav. But the thing is, in this format of cricket, even if you score 30 runs in 10 balls, you are considered in form, because strike rate is extremely important in this game. That is the biggest defining feature of this format,” he added.

Meanwhile, ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7, India will host New Zealand for a five-match series starting on January 21.

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Edited by Dev Sharma