After a 2-1 lead, India will face Australia for the fifth T20I on November 8.
India has followed split captaincy in the past, dating back to the reigns of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The current team is no different, as seen in the ongoing AUS vs IND tour. Shubman Gill led the ODI side, but lost 2-1 in Australia. Suryakumar Yadav is the T20I captain, and India have a 2-1 lead after four out of five matches. With the T20 World Cup 2026 in the near future, head coach Gautam Gambhir is spoilt for choice when it comes to leadership roles, but he has a clear favourite.
Suryakumar Yadav first led the T20I side in November 2023. Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format after lifting the T20 World Cup trophy in July 2024. He continued to lead India in Tests and One-Day Internationals, while Suryakumar took over the 20-over format. Rohit retired from Tests this year, in May. After what looked like an array of confusion between Gill and Rishabh Pant, the BCCI zeroed in on the Punjab-born for Tests.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Asian tournament, India hosted the West Indies for two Tests. Gautam Gambhir spoke about Suryakumar Yadav’s fearless approach on the field, especially during the high-intensity games against Pakistan. Gambhir also mentioned SKY’s free attitude with his team off the field.
“The kind of character that Surya is, that’s precisely what you want in T20 cricket. He himself is so free, whether with the bat in the middle or off the field. T20 cricket is all about freedom. The way he has kept the team atmosphere for over a year in the side… look at the results as well. It’s high-risk and high-reward cricket,” Gambhir told Aakash Chopra ahead of the second Test at the Arjun Jaitley Stadium.
So far, SKY has an 80+ winning percentage out of the 33 T20Is he has captained across countries. After Gambhir’s confidence in Surya and how the 35-year-old aligns with the expectations set in, it’s a clear message on who will lead in the marquee event in February 2026.
“Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav is still the leader of the T20I team. It’s his T20 team, not mine. It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine. The first conversation I had with Surya was, we will not fear losing. I don’t want to be the most successful coach in the history of Indian cricket. We’d rather be the most fearless team.”
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Shubman Gill was recalled in the 20-over setup after a gap of one year. He was part of India’s matches in Sri Lanka in July 2024. Then, Gill was dropped from T20Is in South Africa and the home series against England earlier this year, before playing the Asia Cup 2025. The 26-year-old is also SKY’s deputy.
Before the start of India’s T20I campaign in Australia, Suryakumar Yadav spoke to Express Adda about how he feels about sharing captaincy duties with Gill.
“It’s just an added responsibility, like how we write the letter ‘C’ in the brackets. I won’t lie, everyone feels that fear. But it is the kind of fear that keeps you motivated. The camaraderie between me and him (Gill) is amazing off the field and on it. I know what kind of player and human he is. So it just motivates me to do well. I am very happy for him that he has become captain in two formats,” Suryakumar said.
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When it comes to individual performances with the bat, there’s a clear difference too in their playing styles. Surya has played 94 matches compared to Gill’s 32. Surya accounts for 2.700+ runs, while striking at 164. Gill, on the other hand, has 800-odd runs with 140 SR. There’s an eight-point difference in their averages too, with Surya obviously ahead in the race on the back of more experience and opportunities.
Comparing the stats from the ongoing tour as well, the opener has made 103 runs at a strike rate of 127. The leader, on the other hand, has 84 runs with his SR crossing 171.
The fifth and final T20I of the series will be played on November 8 in Brisbane. India will then host South Africa and New Zealand for five T20Is each, before they begin their title defence in the T20 World Cup in February 2026.
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