Suryakumar dropped for form, not just captaincy change

The noise around Suryakumar Yadav's omission has centered on the captaincy handover to Shreyas Iyer. It's easy to frame it that way — Suryakumar led India to the T20 World Cup title just months ago, so a leadership change looks like the headline story.

But selectors say it's simpler than that. Suryakumar's form dipped, and Ajit Agarkar didn't shy from calling it a tough call. The performance data pointed away from him, and long-term planning mattered more than the recent trophy. Shreyas Iyer's consistency across recent matches made the promotion straightforward.

The broader squad moves — Bumrah back for the 2026 Asian Games, rotations on the Ireland and England tours — suggest selectors are treating form as form, regardless of pedigree. Reputation doesn't buy you a spot when the numbers don't follow.