MS Dhoni's 72-Match Record Under Threat As Suryakumar Yadav Reaches Major Landmark

Suryakumar Yadav enters elite list of Indian captains [Source: @Crex_live, @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav played his 50th game as skipper, thus entering an elite list of captains who previously served the country for a longer period of time.

Yadav achieved this feat during the Super 8 contest of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against the West Indies. The game was do-or-die for the men in blue to survive and advance into the semi-final stage.

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Suryakumar Yadav matches Virat Kohli’s feat

On March 1, India faced the West Indies in the final Super 8 game of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. 

The match was crucial, as the winner would advance into the semi-finals and the loser would get instantly eliminated from the marquee tournament.

Meanwhile, for home captain Suryakumar Yadav, the game was special for a different reason. It marked his 50th match as India’s T20I captain, a milestone that only three Indian captains managed to achieve previously.

Virat Kohli earlier led India for 50 T20Is, while Rohit Sharma captained in 62 games. MS Dhoni still holds the record of playing the most games (72) as India’s T20I captain. 

Most matches as Captain for India in T20Is:

• 72 - MS Dhoni
• 62 - Rohit Sharma
• 50 - Virat Kohli
• 50* - Suryakumar Yadav

This is a major milestone for SKY, which has been serving India for the last couple of years. Moreover, this is his first T20 World Cup as skipper. Hence, the responsibilities are doubled. 

India opt to bowl first in Kolkata

In his 50th T20I game as captain, Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to field first against the West Indies in Kolkata. He said the pitch looked good and traditionally favoured teams chasing. 

With dew expected later in the evening, batting second may become easier as the ball skids on and bowlers struggle to grip it. 

“We want to bowl first tonight. The surface looks good. It has been a chasing ground. Wicket later on becomes even better. And also with a little bit of a dew factor, I think chasing would be a better option,” SKY said.

The skipper also acknowledged the electric atmosphere, calling it a “wild” crowd. Suryakumar Yadav admitted there will be nerves and tension — especially in a high-stakes match, but framed pressure as something exciting rather than scary.

“I mean, it’s already very wild. The crowd is in. Hopefully, we can give them a good show tonight. There will be tension. There will be nerves. But if there’s no pressure, there’s no fun. But the mood in the camp is good. I think we ticked all the boxes in the last game. And taking that positivity coming here in this game, I think it’ll be a good one,” he added.

Rinku Singh sidelined from playing XI

Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav opted to field the same playing XI as in the last game against the West Indies. Rinku Singh was ignored, and Sanju Samson was retained as opener alongside Abhishek Sharma.

Rinku didn’t play against Zimbabwe due to a personal crisis. His dad was battling cancer and eventually passed away earlier this week. 

While the all-rounder showed utmost resilience to rejoin the team, India chose to retain the same combination against the Windies.

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