A series prior to the T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs NZ, Suryakuimar Yadav‘s batting form was a big concern. And then he came up with 242 runs in 5 matches, at an average of 80 and a strike-rate of 196. He started the World Cup with 84 against the USA as well, giving his team an assurance, that the skipper will lead from the front..
Suryakumar Yadav’s batting a liability?
But from then on, what has remained is an unfulfilled potential. This event, he has again scored 242 runs, with only one fifty and the strike-rate has drastically dropped down to 137. That is clearly not what is needed from SKY. If we further breakdown his chart — he scored 11 from 6 vs ENG, 18 from 16 vs WI, 18 from 22 against SA, 34 from 28 vs Netherlands, and 32 from 29 vs PAK. The strike-rate here just signals how difficult it has been from Surya.
And this is nothing new for the skipper who had troubles throughout 2025. Last year in 21 matches he averaged only 13, where he could not score even a single fifty. That was a clear indication of decline of his prowess; but 2026 promised a lot, only to disappoint.
Needs to bat lower down the order
Not that India has a choice when it comes to Surya the batter. They can’t do without him, and with him in the kind of form he is in, puts that extra burden on the batters to follow. But there ought to be a way out of this mess. Perhaps, SKY should look to promote other batters over him, depending on the situation.
On the other hand is his near-perfect captaincy, that has been really effective for the team until now. Out of the 51 matches he has led the side in, India has won a massive 39 matches, with only 8 defeats. That, kind of, instills the confidence in the fans, that even if SKY is undergoing bad form, correct decisions will be made on the field, and India could lift the T20 World Cup title again.
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