“His number while leading India is a worry” - Former India cricketer’s huge remark on Suryakumar Yadav ahead of 2025 Asia Cup

Former India batter Wasim Jaffer opined that Suryakumar Yadav's returns since taking over as the T20I captain are concerning ahead of the Asia Cup. The explosive right-handed batter has led in 15 matches since taking over the leadership duties from Rohit Sharma on a full-time basis.

In his maiden series as captain, in the aftermath of the 2024 T20 World Cup, he scored 92 runs in the three-match series against Sri Lanka. His decent form continued during his first home series as captain against Bangladesh, where he recorded 112 runs in three matches.

However, since then, Suryakumar Yadav has had back-to-back poor series against South Africa and England. During the 3-1 series win over South Africa, away from home, he scored only 26 runs. On the other hand, his run tally was only 28 during the home T20I series against England in early 2025. Overall, he has scored 258 runs in 15 innings at an average of 17.2 since being appointed as the T20I captain.

Wasim Jaffer outlined how the lack of runs as a skipper and his shot selection are points of concern leading up to the 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“His numbers dropping (while leading India) is a worry. Him not getting the runs is a concern. In the last few internationals he played, he was looking to score mostly behind square on the leg side. His shot selection was not up to the mark. But he has since worked on his game, and as we saw, he was a completely different player in the IPL. He started scoring on the offside as well. When Suryakumar Yadav plays shots all around the wicket, there’s not much the bowlers can do. He is very dangerous. Then there isn’t margin for the bowlers. He has done well in the IPL; hopefully, that should continue," Wasim Jaffer told the Times of India.

Suryakumar Yadav had a prolific 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their run to Qualifier 2. He was the franchise's leading run-scorer with 717 runs, and was also the second-highest run-scorer overall, placed only behind Orange Cap winner, Sai Sudharsan.

"It doesn’t mean the captain is under threat" - Wasim Jaffer on Suryakumar Yadav's leadership dynamic with Shubman Gill

Team India's transition, as far as the T20I side is concerned, received another stamp of approval with Shubman Gill's formal appointment as vice-captain. The ace opening batter has been primed to lead India across all formats, leaving Suraykumar Yadav in a tough spot, despite the strong start to his captaincy stint.

Wasim Jaffer opted not to view Gill's introduction into the leadership as an intrusion, but as an asset that Suryakumar Yadav could use.

"Every tour, every series, you have a vice-captain. It doesn’t mean the captain is under threat. Selectors have made it clear — Bumrah can’t play every series, so he’s out. Hardik? They’re not looking at him for now. That leaves Shubman and maybe Shreyas when he’s back. “On the contrary, experienced heads like Hardik, Bumrah, and Shubman will only help in crunch moments. But at the end of the day, Surya must make the tough calls," Wasim Jaffer said.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India will kick-start their Asia Cup campaign with a clash against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, September 10.