India wrapped up the T20I series against South Africa with a 30-run win in Ahmedabad, but once again, the spotlight drifted away from the triumph and settled firmly on Suryakumar Yadav. While the result confirmed a 3–1 series victory, the Indian captain’s struggles with the bat continued, extending a worrying run with less than 50 days remaining for the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sent in to bat, India piled up a formidable 231 for 5, powered by Tilak Varma’s fluent 73 off 42 balls and a brutal 63 off 25 from Hardik Pandya. But amid the fireworks, Suryakumar’s brief stay stood out for the wrong reasons. He managed just five runs before mistiming a hard-length delivery from Corbin Bosch, a dismissal that felt all too familiar this year as SKY didn’t complete the weight transfer on the ball.
Everyone is waiting for that one innings: Tilak on SKY
Speaking after the match, Tilak Varma opened up about his conversations with Suryakumar in the middle and threw his weight behind the struggling skipper. Varma admitted that the rhythm still eluded Suryakumar, but insisted it was only a matter of time before things clicked.
“I told Suryakumar Yadav that middle a few balls and be calm at the crease. I was talking to him. If he gets that confidence, everyone has seen how he can play. Unfortunately, again, he didn’t find that rhythm. I think it wasn’t his day, but everyone is waiting for that one inning. Suppose he gets that one innings; then everyone knows how dangerous he can be. He has got some different skills.” Varma said during the post-match conference.
The numbers, however, show a different reality. Suryakumar finished 2025 with 218 runs from 19 T20I innings, averaging 13.62 with a strike rate of 123.16, without a single half-century. His struggles have been particularly big against pace, against whom he has been dismissed 18 out of 19 times this year.
Tilak’s backing comes days after Abhishek Sharma also publicly defended both Suryakumar and vice-captain Shubman Gill, despite neither delivering with the bat this year. Abhishek had urged patience, reminding everyone that “form is temporary, class is permanent,” and confidently claimed the duo would win India matches at the T20 World Cup.
For now, India continue to win without major contributions from their leadership group, leaning on bowling depth and middle-order firepower. But as the World Cup draws closer, everyone knows that two of India’s top three cannot be liabilities to the team.
