Team India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up about his crippling form in T20I cricket following the triumphant 2025 Asia Cup campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Although the Men in Blue successfully defended their title in an unbeaten fashion, the ace player had a tournament to forget as a batter, recording only 72 runs in seven matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 101.41.
Suryakumar Yadav has struggled for form ever since taking over the T20I captaincy on a full-time basis post the 2024 T20 World Cup. He presented mediocre numbers in his first set of series as captain against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, before it took a turn for the worse in South Africa.
Over the last three assignments for Team India in T20Is, the right-handed batter has crossed the 30-run mark just once. Overall, during that particular timeframe, he has played 16 matches, where he has returned just 126 runs at an average of 10.5.
During this phase, the explosive batter had a stellar 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he amassed 717 runs at an average of 65.18. However, amid another injury and surgery, he has not been able to replicate the form in national colors yet.
Suryakumar Yadav stated that he is confident of turning his form around as long as he continues to be true to his preparation and process.
"There is no shame in telling the truth. I had started the Asia Cup well, scored some 40-odd not out, something. After that, I was batting well, but the runs were not coming. I know that as long as my preparation and process are right, the runs will come sooner or later. If my form is affecting the team, then I will start dwelling on it. But the team is doing good, the atmosphere is good. I can't let my form affect the team atmosphere," Suryakumar Yadav said on Vimal Kumar's YouTube channel.
Team India desperately need their skipper back in form during the lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, beginning with the five-match T20I series against Australia, away from home. The series opener is scheduled to take place on October 29 in Canberra after the end of the three-match ODI series.
"It was like Jenga" - Suryakumar Yadav on Team India's T20I selection conundrum during 2025 Asia Cup
Suryakumar Yadav had a major selection conundrum to deal with ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup campaign, primarily pertaining to the opening combination and the first-choice wicket-keeper. Shubman Gill's return to the team as vice-captain meant that Sanju Samson had to make way at the top of the order.
Given Jitesh Sharma's reputation as a finisher, the team had to make a call whether to feature him or play Sanju Samson in an unfamiliar position.
Suryakumar Yadav revealed that Sanju Samson was always in the team's plans, and the message was conveyed to him accordingly.
"Everyone felt that now that Shubman and Jitesh had returned to the team, it was like Jenga; everyone started removing and rearranging the blocks. Everyone was like now that Sanju will not open, where will he fit in? It never crossed my mind that Sanju would now play," Suryakumar Yadav said.
"In the first session we did after reaching Dubai, I was standing behind the nets with Gauti bhai, and he told me that Sanju has been doing so well for India in the last 10-15 T20s he has played. So, we can only tell him that there might be a little issue with the batting position, but his impact should remain the same. We explained that to him, saying that earlier he used to play 30-35 balls and score 70-odd runs, now there might only be 20, 25, or even just 10 balls to play, or his batting may not even come. The message to him was that whenever there is an opportunity, he should try to make an impact for the team," he elaborated.
Sanju Samson availed sporadic opportunities during the 2025 Asia Cup campaign due to the top-order's brilliant form. He scored a composed fifty after being promoted in the batting order for the group stage match against Oman, and chipped in with valuable cameos against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the business end of the tournament.
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