Suryakumar Yadav admits feeling ‘fear’ over losing India’s T20I captain title after Shubman Gill’s promotion

Shubman Gill is India's ODI and Test captain. He was also named Suryakumar Yadav's deputy for the Asia Cup.

The moment Shubman Gill was named India’s white-ball vice-captain, it was confirmed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) views him as India’s next all-format captain after Rohit Sharma.

Deep down, India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, probably felt the same as well. Almost as if he was living on borrowed time. Less than 12 months later, Gill became India’s Test captain. He hadn’t played a T20I match in 14 months, yet was named vice-captain for the Asia Cup.

Suryakumar Yadav feared losing India’s T20I captaincy

And then, earlier this month, BCCI confirmed that Gill will replace Rohit as India’s ODI captain. One might have felt that Rohit was unhappy, but Suryakumar must have been fearing that he could be sacked before the 2026 T20 World Cup. And guess what? He was scared.

Suryakumar has admitted that for a moment he felt fear about losing his place as India’s T20I captain. But instead of getting bogged down by the news, he decided to make it a source of motivation to perform even better. Surya also added that he’s got a good relationship on and off the field with Gill, which helps as well.

“I won’t lie; everyone feels that fear. But it is the kind of fear that makes you feel motivated. The camaraderie between him (Shubman Gill) and me is amazing off the field and on it. I know what kind of player and human he is. So, it motivates me to do well. But I am very happy for him that he has become captain in two formats. He has done really well,” Suryakumar said on Express Adda.

Surya is someone who made his international debut after 30 and hit his first ball for six while facing Jofra Archer. He didn’t succumb to pressure and fear then, and it won’t happen now.

“If I were so scared, then I wouldn’t have played my first ball in international cricket the way I did. So, I left that fear behind a long time back. I believe if I am working hard on myself, being honest with myself. Then the rest of everything will be taken care of,” he added.