"You can assume that Suryakumar Yadav won't be seen there" - Aakash Chopra on SKY's place in India's squad for 2025 Champions Trophy

Aakash Chopra reckons Suryakumar Yadav is not in India's scheme of things for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The middle-order batter has been named the Men in Blue's captain for the T20I series against Sri Lanka but has not been selected for the ODIs.

India will face the Lankan Lions in three T20Is followed by as many ODIs, with the first game scheduled in Pallekele on July 27. In the pre-departure press conference, the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar stated that SKY, as he is fondly called, wasn't considered for the longer white-ball format.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on some of the responses given by the head coach Gautam Gambhir and Agarkar in the press conference. As for the latter's reply about Suryakumar's non-selection in ODIs, he said (3:05):

"Suryakumar Yadav was a part of the team that reached the final of the last (2023 ODI) World Cup. He was part of this (2024 T20) World Cup as well, the (David Miller) catch he took but he is now not part of the ODI team."

"A question was asked about that and he said that Suryakumar Yadav is a phenomenal and special player but he will be seen playing in T20Is only and is currently not being considered in ODIs. So if he is not being considered and the Champions Trophy is about to come, you can assume that Suryakumar Yadav won't be seen there," the former India opener added.

On the flip side, Chopra noted that Shubman Gill is a virtual certainty in India's Champions Trophy squad, considering he has also been given a leadership role.

"However, Shubman Gill will be seen there. He (Agarkar) said that he (Gill) is a three-format player and Gautam (Gambhir) believes it's not a bad thing if he can get three-format players. They have also liked his captaincy in the IPL and against Zimbabwe, and that's why he has been made the ODI vice-captain," he observed.

Gill has been named the vice-captain for both the T20I and ODI squads for the Sri Lanka tour. The opener led India to a 4-1 win in the recent T20I series against Zimbabwe.

"Suryakumar Yadav jumped ahead of him in the race" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya being ignored for India's T20I captaincy

Hardik Pandya (left) and Suryakumar Yadav were among India's star performers in the 2024 T20 World Cup. [P/C: BCCI]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Suryakumar Yadav stole a march over Hardik Pandya in India's T20I captaincy race due to the latter's fitness concerns.

"Hardik Pandya hasn't been made the captain in T20Is because fitness is an important aspect. They want the captain to play all cricket and shouldn't take too many breaks. So in such a scenario, Suryakumar Yadav jumped ahead of him in the race. However, Hardik Pandya is an important player, he has a huge stature in Indian cricket and there are expectations from him," he said (4:00).

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that Ravindra Jadeja's non-selection for the ODIs doesn't imply the end of the road for him in the format.

"He (Agarkar) said that they should have explained at the time of selecting the team that he (Jadeja) hasn't been dropped. There was some speculation, some Instagram handles went overdrive and said Jaddu was seen for the last time in colored clothes, and would only be seen in Chennai's team and not in India's ODI team," Chopra stated.

"However, the coach and chairman of selectors have said that there is nothing to be taken tension about, he has been rested because there is a lot of Test cricket in the near future. It's actually continuous. First Bangladesh, then New Zealand and Australia. They have given him a break. So it's not that his chances of playing ODIs have ended," he added.

Chopra opined that Kuldeep Yadav might have similarly been rested for the T20Is as he is now an integral part of India's Test side. The left-arm wrist-spinner has been picked in the ODI squad but hasn't been chosen for the shortest format.