Former UAE captain reacts to Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I captaincy axing| Exclusive

Suryakumar Yadav’s sudden exit from India’s T20I setup has sparked debate and divided opinion across the cricketing fraternity. The right‑hander led India to their third T20 World Cup title, making them the first team to defend the trophy and the first to win it on home soil. However, the All India Senior Men’s Selection Committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, opted for a change in direction, naming Shreyas Iyer as the new T20I captain.

Suryakumar not only lost the captaincy but also his place in the squad following an underwhelming IPL 2026 season, where he scored 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76 and a strike rate of 147.54.

Former UAE captain Khurram Khan believes the situation could have been handled with greater sensitivity, given Suryakumar’s role in delivering a historic World Cup triumph.

“His [Suryakumar Yadav] performance might not be as per what the board (BCCI) or the team management wanted. But at the end of the day, you wanted to win the T20 World Cup and he made it happen,” Khurram said on the Mr Cricket UAE Podcast. “Therefore, there could have been a better way [of handling Suryakumar’s situation] as he won the World Cup for you. They [BCCI] could have handled the situation better than how it transpired. It was heartbreaking.”

‘$1,000 for Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket’ - Khurram Khan recalls a remarkable tale

July 16, 2004 remains one of the most memorable days of Khurram Khan’s career. The left‑hander made his international debut against a star‑studded India side at the Men’s Asia Cup in Dambulla, a team featuring Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and VVS Laxman, among others, led by Sourav Ganguly.

The fixture drew unprecedented media attention for the UAE players. Speaking on the podcast, Khurram revealed that one of the selectors had offered a $1,000 reward to whoever dismissed Sachin Tendulkar.

“Before the game against India one of our selectors had said that whoever will get Tendulkar out, I’ll give $1000. It was a big deal to get Tendulkar out those days. Therefore, all the bowlers came up to me and were like, Khurram bhai, mujhe over dena jab yeh aaye [Bring me into the attack as soon as Sachin comes into the middle.”

Khurram recalled placing a fielder at short cover for Tendulkar. Left-arm seamer Asim Saeed found inward movement as soon as he was introduced into the attack. He then asked Khurram to shift the fielder to short midwicket to create a catching opportunity. Khurram obliged, and the adjustment paid off instantly. Tendulkar mis‑hit the next delivery, the ball brushing his pad and flying straight to Fahad Usman at short midwicket.

“I had this guy standing at short cover for Tendulkar. In came Saeed with the ball in hand and got a bit of inward movement with the first ball. He then told me to move the short cover fielder to short midwicket to grab a catching opportunity, and I obliged. On the very next ball, Saeed produced a false shot from Tendulkar as the ball took the inside half of his bat, brushed his pad and went straight to Fahad Usman at short midwicket. Our happiness knew no bounds," Khurram concluded.

Chasing 261, UAE were bowled out for 144 in 35 overs, losing by 116 runs. Rahul Dravid’s 104 off 93 balls earned him the Player of the Match (POTM) award.