Suryakumar Yadav has gone from India’s best batter to the biggest problem in T20I cricket. Since taking over as captain in July last year, Surya’s performance has been on a slide. The second half of 2024 wasn’t great, and the first couple of months of 2025 weren’t better.
Suryakumar Yadav’s form rut
But then in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Surya was back at his best. For the Mumbai Indians, he scored 717 runs at 65.18 with an exceptional strike rate of 167.91. However, his return to T20Is hasn’t yielded the same results. Aakash Chopra has flagged Suryakumar’s form rut as a major red flag.
“You are the team’s captain; your job is not just to toss and manage the bowlers. It’s not just about making the strategy. If you bat in the top four, your primary role is to score runs. It’s been many matches. If you have an average of 14 in 17 innings and the strike rate is also not very good, you don’t have a single fifty and have crossed 25 just twice; it’s been a problem on either side of the IPL,” Aakash said on his YouTube channel.
As the reigning T20 World Cup champions, India are expected to defend their title. The Men in Blue are the top-ranked team, are playing at home, and have lost just 5 matches since winning the trophy in Barbados. But Suryakumar’s form could derail India’s campaign.
“If you are playing at No. 3 or No. 4 and are not scoring runs, and they aren’t being scored consistently and over a long period of time, you won’t be that confident when you start the World Cup. So, Suryakumar Yadav, the captain, and Shubman Gill, the vice-captain, scoring runs is absolutely imperative,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav T20I stats
| Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As captain (from July 27, 2024) | 26 | 431 | 75 | 18.73 | 146.10 | 0 | 2 |
| In 2025 | 17 | 210 | 47* | 14.35 | 126.41 | 0 | 0 |
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