Reports have circulated across Indian media in recent weeks regarding how Suryakumar Yadav’s tenure as Indian captain for T20Is might be short-lived, with the BCCI looking beyond the 2026 World Cup winning leader in a bid to prepare for the future. As far as former Indian coach Ravi Shastri is concerned, there is only one direction they should turn to instead.
“India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years,” Shastri said while speaking on the ICC Review.
India would have a couple of candidates to consider if they do look to move past Suryakumar – Shreyas Iyer’s track record in the IPL makes him a candidate, as does Hardik Pandya’s. However, one player Shastri thinks deserves the call-up is a player who is currently not an IPL captain at all.
“But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he's done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals),” explained Shastri. “And he's a certainty in the side, at the top of the order, extremely destructive. So I see him, this is just the start of something more you'll see from Sanju over the next two or three years.”
Samson's 2026 performances make him lead candidate
Samson led RR in multiple seasons, including to the IPL final in 2022. He has joined CSK, where he plays under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad – but as a consistent member of the Indian team in the shortest format and now with many years of experience. Shastri believes that he has given evidence of consistency to support his incredible talent.
{{/usCountry}}Samson led RR in multiple seasons, including to the IPL final in 2022. He has joined CSK, where he plays under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad – but as a consistent member of the Indian team in the shortest format and now with many years of experience. Shastri believes that he has given evidence of consistency to support his incredible talent.
{{/usCountry}}“I think he (Samson) has put a lid on all those question marks. There was always ability. People would, in fact, be disappointed because he wouldn't do justice to that ability," explained the former Indian coach.
The big reason for Shastri backing Samson has been his ability to turn up at key moments in recent months – particularly the T20 World Cup, where he went on a historic run with three big half-centuries in the three must-win games at the end of the tournament.
“But my word this season, the way he's played after his performance in the T20 World Cup where single-handedly he almost won India games, the big games, the quarter-finals (West Indies, Super 8), semi-finals, the final,” said Shastri.
But beyond that, what makes Shastri even more confident is the ‘maturity’ he has shown while batting at the top of the order for CSK, his new franchise. With the weight of expectations and one of the senior members in the team in MS Dhoni’s absence, Samson has led from the front in yellow, with a couple of centuries and another srong season under his belt.
“The way he stepped up and the maturity he's showing now in the IPL, makes him a clear case as far as I'm concerned for leadership in the future,” concluded Shastri, throwing his weight behind Samson.