Is Suryakumar Yadav Too Close to Exposing Kohlis Captaincy Weaknesses?

Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20I captain, is now too close to breaking Virat Kohli’s record as a captain in the shortest format of the game. However, the first big challenge for Suryakumar Yadav lies ahead in the Asia Cup final, as India faces Pakistan.

Suryakumar Yadav has been setting new records as a captain of the Indian team in the Test format. When he took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, fans thought that the transition phase would be challenging for the team. But SKY and his company have been able to take the challenge pretty well.

Along with his success as a captain in the T20I format, he is also nearing the list of successful captains for India. Currently, the list has MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. But it seems that Suryakumar Yadav will soon be able to replace Virat Kohli in the list.

With Virat Kohli not winning any ICC or ACC tournament under his captaincy, Suryakumar Yadav has a chance to win one. He now gets ready for the ultimate final clash against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, as India stands undefeated in the tournament.

1. Virat Kohli's T20I Captaincy Record

Virat Kohli holds the record of leading the Indian team in the most matches, standing at the third spot with 50 games. He took charge of the Indian team in the T20I format during 2017, after MS Dhoni stepped down as captain.

At that time, Virat Kohli had already tasted success being the Test captain of the team. And now it was time for him to dominate in the T20I format as well. Although he was able to win matches for the Indian team, there were a few games where the team encountered losses.

The Asia Cup 2018 was expected to be the real test for his T20I captaincy. It could have been Kohli's first T20I tournament as a captain. But he didn't play for India in the same, ruling himself out of the tournament due to mental fatigue.

Virat Kohli as T20I Captain:

• Matches: 50
• Wins: 30
• Losses: 16
• Draws: 2
• No Result: 2
• Win Rate: 60%

Virat Kohli played his first-ever T20I tournament as a captain during the T20 World Cup 2021. The tournament was set to be played in Dubai, and this is when fans called him a clueless captain. India, a team which finished in the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup, got knocked out of the Group stages in the next one.

Under his captaincy, the Indian team also suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021. This was also India's biggest loss to Pakistan in any ICC event. Eventually, Kohli's first-ever T20I tournament as a captain of the Indian team also became his last.

2. Suryakumar Yadav's T20I Captaincy Record

Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy of the Indian cricket team after the T20 World Cup 2024. Fans can undoubtedly say that he has helped the team to maintain its spot at the top of the table. Under his leadership, India not only established its dominance in the home series but also in the SENA countries.

Even in the Asia Cup 2025, Suryakumar Yadav has led the Indian team undefeated in the finals. Now, the biggest challenge in his captaincy stint takes place on Sunday, as India faces Pakistan in the final. This would be the third time both teams have faced each other in the tournament. SKY’s record against the arch rivals has been great, winning both games against them.

Suryakumar Yadav as T20I Captain:

• Matches: 27
• Wins: 22
• Losses: 4
• Draws: 1
• No Result: 0
• Win Rate: 81.48%

If Suryakumar Yadav wins the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, he would get his first trophy as a captain. This would further help him replace Virat Kohli in the list of most successful T20I captains for India. Along with that, he is just 8 wins away from Kohli's record of most wins as a T20I captain. And Suryakumar has still captained the team in 27 games, compared to the 50 games by Kohli.