For a man once hailed as the best-ever Indian T20 batter, Suryakumar Yadav’s numbers this year look unrecognizable. Just 100 runs in 11 T20I innings, an average of 11.11, and barely any signs of that trademark flair that once made him the world’s most feared T20 player.
Now, with every passing series, questions are flared up not just over his poor form but over his place in the side. It is quite difficult to handle criticism if a team’s captain fails to deliver for a long period of time. However, the Indian T20I captain knows that runs have dried up. He accepted it after the Asia Cup final win too.
Suryakumar Yadav on his poor form
Speaking in Canberra, Surya didn’t try to sugarcoat his slump. “I feel like I’ve been working really hard. It’s not that I wasn’t working hard before, I was doing it then also. I’ve had good sessions back home and good few sessions here so I am in good space, that is really important. Runs will come eventually but working hard towards the team goal is important,” he said.
While Suryakumar has immense backing from Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, he takes one game at a time. “What the team wants from you in different situations and I will take it one game at a time. If it starts then it will be a good thing,” he added.
For a player who has over 300 T20 innings and 8692 runs, Suryakumar has been in awful form for India. In India’s victorious Asia Cup campaign, the skipper managed only 72 runs across six innings at a strike rate of just 104.22. His returns included four single-digit scores, including the final where he lasted five balls for one run before miscuing Shaheen Afridi straight to mid-off.
For a player who had looked untouchable in franchise cricket, the contrast was jarring. He doesn’t look anywhere close to his best. There was a reason why he was once considered in India’s all-time T20 lineup even after playing for a couple of years. But, now 35, his prime might be well past him. This year, he has managed just 100 runs at an average of 11.11.
The irony is cruel. Just a few months earlier, he had one of the greatest IPL seasons ever, 717 runs at a strike rate of 167.9 for Mumbai Indians, looking like a man incapable of failing. With a home T20 World Cup looming next year, India are betting big on their captain’s resurgence. He insists the runs will come and for both him and India, they can’t come soon enough.
Suryakumar Yadav T20I stats
| Span | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 85 | 2670 | 117 | 37.08 | 164.20 | 4 | 21 | 148 |
| 2021-2023 | 57 | 2141 | 117 | 45.55 | 171.55 | 4 | 17 | 123 |
| 2025 | 11 | 100 | 75 | 11.11 | 105.26 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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