"You yourself have not scored runs" - Former captain slams Suryakumar Yadav for batting experiment in IND vs BAN Asia Cup 2025 clash

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticized T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for sending a 'finisher' like Shivam Dube at No. 3 in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match against Bangladesh. The Little Master pointed out that Suryakumar himself was not among the runs and should have walked out to bat at the fall of the first wicket.

India beat Bangladesh by 41 runs in the Super 4 match in Dubai on Wednesday, September 24. Batting first, the Men in Blue posted 168-6 and then held Bangladesh to 127. While India won the match by a decent margin, they did lose their way with the bat. After the openers added 77 in 6.2 overs, Dube came in at No. 3. He fell cheaply and India's innings completely lost momentum.

During a discussion on India Today, Gavaskar warned the Men in Blue against over-experimentation in batting. While sharing his views on the decision to promote Dube, he commented:

"Sometimes, when you are looking to give batters some practice, you tend to move your batting order just that little bit. I don't think there should be too much of a change in the batting order. That can affect the rhythm of the team. Batting order also needs a rhythm.

"Occasionally, you can push somebody up, looking at the circumstances. But to push a finisher like Dube at No. 3 was a little bit difficult. That is one area where India faltered a little bit," the 76-year-old added.

Questioning why Suryakumar did not come in to bat after Shubman Gill's dismissal for 29, Gavaskar opined:

"You yourself as captain have not scored runs in the previous game. It is important for the captain to come in and get a few runs. He came at No. 4 and got out, looking to play the same shot [like previous game]. That's a very productive shot for him, but when you are getting out to that, maybe you should not play it till you have really got the feel of the surface."

Suryakumar was caught behind off left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman for five. He tried to flick a short ball, but failed to make proper contact and only got an edge.

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Suryakumar Yadav's batting record as T20I captain

The pressure of captaincy seems to be having a detrimental effect on Suryakumar's batting in T20Is. In 27 matches as skipper, he has scored 617 runs at an average of 26.82 and a strike rate of 156.20. He has one hundred and four half-centuries while captaining the side.

On the other hand, in 61 matches in which he has not led the team, the 35-year-old has totaled 2,040 runs at an average of 43.40 and a strike rate of 168.17, with three hundreds and 17 half-centuries.