In frame: Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli (Source: AFP)
After two long months of high-voltage action in the 2026 Indian Premier League, Indian cricket fans were looking forward to watching the Indian Team play in a packed international schedule. However, the bombshell reports of relieving Suryakumar Yadav of the men’s T20I captaincy role shook them.
Suryakumar was handed the baton of T20I captaincy after Rohit Sharma ended the country’s long trophy drought with the 2024 T20 World Cup. Under him, India saw a roaring success in the shortest format of the game.
Suryakumar Yadav set to be sacked after winning 2026 T20 World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav led India in eight consecutive bilateral series wins, the 2025 Asia Cup title, and most recently, successfully defended the ICC T20 World Cup title by leading the Men in Blue to their historic second consecutive title in March 2026.
Thus, only three months after leading India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title, the news of Suryakumar Yadav being snubbed from the top role has come as a shocker for most.
But for the unversed, this is not the first time an Indian captain has been removed after winning an ICC trophy.
Who was the last Indian captain removed after winning an ICC trophy?
Rohit Sharma, who turned 39 in April, took the charge as India’s full-time ODI skipper in December 2021, replacing Virat Kohli after he stepped down from T20I leadership.
The BCCI, under then-president Sourav Ganguly, wanted a single captain for both white-ball formats, and Rohit was handed the responsibility.
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Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, the Men in Blue enjoyed reasonable success in the One-day Internationals, with the batter emerging as one of the most effective white-ball captains in recent times for Team India.
Among the biggest moments in Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy are:
- Led an undefeated India to the 2018 Asia Cup win in the absence of Virat Kohli.
- Won the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka.
- Reached the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 without losing a single game throughout the tournament; however, lost to Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
- Won the Champions Trophy, defeating New Zealand in Dubai.
On top of that, Sharma had established himself as one the India’s most successful ODI captains. By the end of his tenure, he boasted an impressive 75% win rate, having won 42 of 56 matches.
When Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy came to an abrupt end
Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy career can be defined by a shift to a fearless, aggressive batting mindset and an outstanding trophy haul in multilateral tournaments.
By the looks of it, Sharma can easily be named among the best white-ball captains. However, his captaincy duties came to an unexpected end the same year he led India to their third Champions Trophy title, which made them the most successful team in tournament history with three titles, surpassing Australia.
Why was Rohit Sharma snubbed from ODI captaincy?
Former Indian cricketer and chairman of the men’s selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, asserted that the removal of Rohit did not associate with his successful campaign as the captain in the format, but it was a decision to secure the team under young Shubman Gill’s captaincy.
“Even if he hadn’t won the Champions Trophy, it would have been a difficult decision because of how good he has been for India. But you have to sometimes look at what is coming forward," Agarkar said while speaking to the media.
“Where you stand as a team and eventually look at what is in the best interest of the team. Whether it is now or maybe six months later. Those are the calls that I suppose you have to make," Agarkar added.
It is important to note that Sharma will be 40 by the time of the next ODI World Cup. Thus, management wanted to avoid the risk of having to replace a captain late in the cycle if a senior player’s form or fitness dips.
Thus, the last Indian captain to be removed after winning an ICC trophy was Rohit Sharma. Despite leading India to the ICC Champions Trophy title in 2025, Sharma was later replaced as ODI captain, with selectors opting to begin a new leadership cycle under Shubman Gill ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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