"The spotlight is on Abhishek" - Former batter's huge claim on Suryakumar Yadav's form ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Mohammad Kaif believes Team India opener Abhishek Sharma's blistering batting exploits in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 could be a reason behind skipper Suryakumar Yadav's underwhelming form. The Indian captain has amassed 71 runs across five innings at an ordinary strike rate of 107.57.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that before Abhishek became a regular in India's T20I team, it was Suryakumar who played the role of an aggressor. He opined that Suryakumar will take some time to adjust after the opening batter's stunning run.

Speaking in his YouTube video, Kaif said (at 19:22):

"He [Suryakumar Yadav] is a brilliant batter, but he is under some pressure. He is the captain, and I feel all the spotlight has now come on Abhishek. Abhishek has come into the spotlight, and everyone is praising him. Surya, the batter, might take some time to adjust. Perhaps very rarely has it happened that Suryakumar has gotten LBW playing the sweep. He was on 11 off 10 against Sri Lanka, which means he started slowly. Abhishek Sharma was hitting sixes at the other end.

"When Abhishek wasn't in the team, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were there, who had their own way of playing. At that time, Suryakumar earned a lot of respect by becoming a hero from ball one. Virat used to play his normal games, Rohit had his cameos and gave good starts. Suryakumar is the real match-winner in this format. He has a hundred in England. Now, I feel that Surya is feeling some pressure because the spotlight is on Abhishek."

While Suryakumar Yadav has struggled to perform consistently with the bat, Abhishek Sharma has enjoyed an imperious run. The southpaw is currently the highest run-scorer in the 2025 Asia Cup, scoring 309 runs from six innings at a fantastic strike rate of 204.63.

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"He will make a comeback" - Mohammad Kaif backs Suryakumar Yadav to regain his mojo

Mohammad Kaif hailed Suryakumar Yadav as an accomplished batter and backed him to make a strong comeback. He reckoned that the swashbuckling batter is not used to playing in the shadow of other batters.

Suggesting that Suryakumar will redeem himself soon, Kaif said in the same video (at 20:54):

"He will make a comeback. He is an extraordinary batter. But in this moment, where Abhishek has received a lot of praise during the Asia Cup, he has looked a bit unsettled. But that doesn't mean that this will last long. He will make a comeback, maybe he will do it in the next match itself. From what I have seen till now, he has been playing in Abhishek Sharma's shadow, which Surya is not used to."

Suryakumar played a crucial knock during India's seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the group stage. He remained unbeaten on 47 off 37 balls. However, he registered a three-ball duck against the Men in Green in the Super Fours stage.

India would want him to play an impactful knock in the all-important Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan. The summit clash will take place in Dubai on Sunday, September 28.