Suryakumar Yadav clears air on his fight with Kuldeep Yadav during T20 WC 2026 | PC- AFP
Suryakumar Yadav became only the third Indian captain to lift the coveted T20 World Cup earlier this year. Meanwhile, he was among eight players to win back-to-back titles, along with Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and the others.
Although the whole team contributed in the way or another, it is Kuldeep Yadav who played just one fixture but left his mark.
The left-arm wrist-spinner, who always performed against Pakistan, played a solitary fixture in the marquee event against the arch-rivals, returning with 1 for 14 in his three overs. Introduced as the fifth bowler, he wasn’t too pleased with Suryakumar’s decision, which left Kuldeep furious.
Suryakumar Yadav speaks about his infamous spat with Kuldeep Yadav
While speaking about the incident between him and Kuldeep Yadav earlier this year, when Suryakumar Yadav had an on-field spat with his left-arm wrist-spinner in the India vs Pakistan fixture of the T20 World Cup 2026.
"The match started, and there was no time to bowl him. He was a little disappointed and wanted to bowl. I completed Axar's spell and then bowled Tilak, Varun, and Hardik. He (Kuldeep Yadav) was like, 'Meri bowling kyu nahi aa rahi hai?' There was a chance of a catch when he was at long-on. He ran very casually, and it was an easy catch according to his skills. He dropped the catch, and I got angry at that time. If he dropped the catch after making an effort, that's fine, but he did not put in any effort," Suryakumar Yadav told on Aakash Chopra's Youtube Channel.
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Furthermore, SKY stated that the duo remained angry at each other even after the fixture, only for SKY to realise that it had grown out of proportion when Team India landed in Ahmedabad on their way back from Colombo.
"When we met after the match, we looked at each other in anger. He turned red in anger, and I also looked at him angrily. It looked like that on the screen, but it was banter. After landing in Ahmedabad, I got an idea about the reel. Sometimes it's good to lighten up the moment."
That said, the incident was swept under the rug, as Kuldeep was among the most enthusiastic players after Suryakumar lifted the silverware.
India's flourishing legacy under Suryakumar Yadav
After India became the third-time T20 Champion, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was replaced by Shreyas Iyer. The trophy-winning skipper didn’t even get a series to sign off after winning the marquee event.
Meanwhile, under Iyer, Team India had a horrible start, losing back-to-back series in Ireland and England. He couldn’t only redeem himself in Zimbabwe, where the Men in Blue won by a convincing margin of 3-nil.
That said, Suryakumar had an unmatched record as a T20I captain, with Team India never losing a series under his helm. After Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, SKY has the most victories as India's T20I skipper, with an incredible winning percentage of 76.92.
Can Suryakumar Yadav return to Indian fold?
Suryakumar Yadav last played for India back in March 2026 during their T20 World Cup campaign, where he started the tournament with a spellbinding knock of 84 not out against the USA. However, he couldn't contribute much after that fixture.
There was even a drop in his run-scoring during the IPL 2026 for MI, as he ended with just 270 runs in 13 innings. He followed it with mediocre performances in the Mumbai T20 2026 season.
However, if Suryakumar could turn the tables in the domestic circles, an India recall won’t be too far for a player with his pedigree.
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