The SKY-fall: From World Cup glory to uncertain road ahead

As a quirk of fate, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are scheduled to lead their respective sides in a T20 Mumbai league fixture later on Saturday night. How the match pans out will be of considerable interest, no doubt, but the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) could not have hoped for a bigger draw for a weekend fixture in its premier T20 championship.

With the new and outgoing India T20 captains coming head to head it had all the ingredients of a cricketing potboiler. And, as the organisers confirmed, both turned up for the match. There was, however, a small twist: Iyer featured only as an Impact Player for SoBo Mumbai Falcons, while Suryakumar led Triumph Knights MNE. In Iyer's absence, the Falcons were led by Aditya Tare.

This was not what Suryakumar would have envisaged three months ago when he led India to the World Cup glory, shouldering the weight of expectations of over 1.4 billion fans and the pressure of defending the title at home. But he excelled in those circumstances and led exemplarily. He even backed out-of-form players like Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, from whom he eventually got the best at crucial stages of the tournament.

His on-field captaincy was imaginative as well. Take, for instance, his bowling changes in the semifinal against England when Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks were on a rampage. He timed Jasprit Bumrah's final two overs to perfection, and those overs turned the match decisively in India's favour in a game that had appeared almost lost. It was widely hailed as a masterclass in captaincy.

His calm demeanour and personal rapport with the players earned widespread praise. His leadership in the controversy-marred Asia Cup in September last year was statesmanlike. Overall, his record as captain is stellar - 42 wins in 52 matches, a success rate of 84 per cent, and not a single defeat in nine bilateral series.

The absence of international cricket after the World Cup may have hurt his cause. But his fate was effectively sealed over the last three weeks, when he failed to let his bat do the talking. His tally of 270 runs from 13 IPL matches was well below the expectations from an India captain. Runs were difficult to come even in the local matches.

Even in the World Cup, he scored 242 runs in nine matches at an under-par average of just about 30. There was also talk of a wrist injury hampering his strokeplay, although he categorically denied it. Ajit Agarkar did not mention any injury but admitted that the lack of runs was one of the reasons the selectors chose to look beyond the World Cup-winning skipper.

"It's a tough decision. Someone who led you in the World Cup, it's not the easiest thing to change. Partly the form, but also partly how we go forward is always at the back of your mind, " the chief selector said. But Suryakumar had hoped to lead India in the Olympics and even in the World Cup two years later. After triumphs in 2024, and 2026, he hoped to be part of a hat-trick of World Cup wins.

"As you rightly said," Suryakumar said post the World Cup win in Ahmedabad on the night of March 8, "definitely the next goal is Olympics, Olympic gold and also the T20 World Cup that year. Don't forget." He gave himself a future of at least two years at the helm of the Indian team. But Agarkar and his committee gave the same reason for moving on from Suryakumar. "As it happens after most World Cups, we try and reassess what the best way forward is," the chief selector said.

"Someone who led you in the World Cup - it's not the easiest thing to change. But, like I said, you've not had any international cricket after that World Cup. Partly it's the form, but partly also how we go forward is always at the back of your mind, you know, moving ahead with a new captain. A little bit more than two years from now till the next World Cup, we thought this was the best way forward."

Agarkar called Suryakumar to inform him that the selectors were moving on from him. The chief selector would not reveal how Suryakumar took the news, but Agarkar said: "Like I said, Surya is a well-deserving captain."

On arrival, Suryakumar displayed his trademark sportsmanship and congratulated his successor. "As you said, so many things happening, but obviously very, very, very happy for Shreyas as he's getting to lead the T20 Indian team. We played a lot of cricket together in Bombay. Most important thing, what I felt, is that three back-to-back Mumbai captains going on to lead T20s for India. I think it's a very proud moment, and everyone needs to celebrate that," the outgoing skipper said at the toss.

Over the last few days, there has been considerable talk about Suryakumar in Mumbai. It was being said that he was looking to engage a PR firm, and barely 24 hours ago, he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Coming as it did on the eve of the selection committee meeting, the meeting inevitably sparked speculation.

There has also been talk that he could enter politics and even contest elections in the future. Whether any of that is true remains to be seen, but time appears to have caught up with Suryakumar Yadav, arguably the coolest India captain since MS Dhoni.