How Shreyas Iyer won the captaincy race despite not being Gambhir’s first choice

India’s former T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav effectively lost a part of his authority the day he spoke about leading India to another T20 World Cup triumph in 2028 and representing the country at the Olympics, despite not being in the best of batting form. Sitting beside him after India’s T20 World Cup victory, head coach Gautam Gambhir wore a faint smirk that, in hindsight, appeared significant.

Sources told CricBlogger that Gambhir made it clear a few days later that he would not back Suryakumar if he failed to deliver a strong IPL season. The coach was convinced that IPL performances should remain the primary yardstick for selection in India’s T20 side.

Sources further revealed that Gambhir spoke to the selectors midway through the IPL and expressed concerns about continuing with Suryakumar as captain because of his prolonged dip in form. He even discussed the possibility of dropping him from the squad altogether, a view that was supported by chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

Sources also said that Gambhir proposed two names for the T20 captaincy — Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, with Shreyas Iyer not featuring among his preferred choices. To this, Agarkar responded that if IPL performances were to be the primary yardstick for selecting both captains and players, there could be no better candidate than Iyer.

Agarkar is understood to have argued that Iyer’s performances with the bat, coupled with his leadership credentials in the IPL, made him the standout contender for the role.

CricBlogger has also learned that Gambhir subsequently discussed his preferences with the BCCI and received an initial green signal regarding Suryakumar’s removal. However, he was categorically informed that the final decision on the new T20 captain would rest solely with the selectors.

Sources said that Gambhir and Agarkar then held further discussions and eventually zeroed in on Iyer for the role, impressed by both his batting performances and his leadership exploits in the IPL. “Gambhir wanted a change, but Agarkar wanted Iyer,” the source added.