"He's good enough to handle it" - Dinesh Karthik's huge claim on star batter's struggles amid IND vs SL Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match

Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik dismissed the theory of captaincy affecting Suryakumar Yadav's batting after the latter's continued struggles in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash against Sri Lanka. The 35-year-old fell for a 13-ball 12 even as India posted a massive 202/5 in their 20 overs.

Surya took over as India's permanent T20I captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. However, he has been woefully short of runs since, averaging a dismal 19.35 in 21 games with only two half-centuries.

Talking about Surya's worrying form in the mid-innings break of the India-Sri Lanka contest, Karthik said on Cricbuzz (9:03):

"He hasn't made the runs we are used to in terms of consistency and it happens. You go through that phase. Immediately the question will be asked, 'Is he able to handle the pressure?' I think he's good enough to handle it. It's just that at this time, he's not having the confidence to play the shots he usually plays. Add to that it's a big ground and a slow wicket, it's not that easy."

Karthik continued:

"The good thing for Suryakumar Yadav is that India is doing well right now. If, in case, it was the other way around, it'll be glaringly obvious. He's a man with a high pedigree and also some serious amount of runs in this format. But to be fair, he has not had the best time since he has taken over as captain."

Despite Surya's struggles with the bat, India have won 18 out of their 20 T20Is under his captaincy since the 2024 World Cup.

"He has got a great bat swing and that's one of his biggest strengths" - Dinesh Karthik on Sanju Samson

Dinesh Karthik praised Sanju Samson for his impressive batting performance in the ongoing clash against Sri Lanka. The stylish right-hander walked into bat with the game in the balance at 92/3 in the ninth over.

Samson eased his way to a well-paced 23-ball 39, including three maximums and a boundary.

"He has got a great bat swing and that's one of his biggest strengths. He has very limited footwork but his greatest strength is his ability to have a bat swing through the line of the ball. Not many people have such a clean swing like Sanju Samson. He goes deep in his crease and hits lovely shots down the ground," said Karthik (via the aforementioned source).

He added:

"The way he hit Hasaranga almost every over and that's a bowler who's been a bit of a nemesis for him. But today he batted him very nicely. He put away the full balls but what was nice to see was after that he backed it up with a couple of singles and didn't throw it away or get caught up with the momentum of what was required."

Samson is attempting to adjust to his new middle-order position in the ongoing Asia Cup, barring a couple of impressive displays. He has scored 108 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 127.05 in three innings in the tournament.