Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes that if Suryakumar Yadav is removed as India’s T20I captain, then Shreyas Iyer should be given the captaincy baton. Chopra reckons Rajat Patidar should also be added to India’s middle order, but Iyer should be India’s first-choice captain after SKY.
According to the Indian Express, SKY is all set to be removed as India’s T20I skipper. Meanwhile, Iyer scored 498 runs in 13 innings in IPL 2026 at an average of 55.33 and a strike rate of 168.81.
On the other hand, Rajat Patidar amassed 501 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 192.69 in the recently concluded season and thus played a key role in taking RCB to glory.
“If he isn’t there, and you are looking towards someone else, my vote will be for Shreyas Iyer. Make him a part of the Indian team. Bring him in the middle order. Bring Rajat Patidar along with him as well, but I see the captaincy on Shreyas Iyer’s shoulders because he has got the experience,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra said Iyer has been a consistent performer in the white-ball formats and has led three different IPL teams to the final.
“He has performed incredibly in white-ball cricket. He is very, very good. He is the only player in the world to score more than 500 runs in a World Cup while batting at No. 4. So he is a performer. He is an absolute game-changer in white-ball cricket, and he captains very well. He has done that with three different franchises. The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he observed.
The renowned commentator backed Suryakumar Yadav to continue as India’s T20I skipper as he recently led India to T20 World Cup glory.
“Suryakumar Yadav will remain the captain for now because he just won the World Cup. You don’t change immediately after winning the World Cup, unless somebody retires, just like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja had retired, and you had to do something else,” he said in the same video.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel is expected to announce the squad for the UK tour on Saturday.
