SKY has one fifty in the last 25 innings.
‘I’m not out of form, I’m out of runs,’ this was the response of the India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav when asked about his lean patch. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue are yet to lose a T20I series, winning eight out of nine assignments, including the Asia Cup triumph.
While there’s no doubt about how he operates as the skipper, the batting form of Suryakumar Yadav could be a concern heading into the T20 World Cup 2026.
From the time Suryakumar Yadav made his T20I debut, he was the best T20 batter in the world for the following three years. From March 2021 to July 2024, he amassed 2,432 runs in T20 Internationals at an average of 42.66 and strike rate of 168.65.
In this period, SKY smashed four centuries and 20 half-centuries for India. He was even named the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2022 and 2023. But in recent times, he has had a contrasting patch compared to his glory days.
Since the start of August 2024, SKY has managed to score 356 runs at an awful average of 16.18 and strike rate of 133.83. Numbers don’t lie and these numbers show a sharp decline in form. 25 innings is a long enough stretch to assess a player’s form.
Suryakumar has registered only one fifty-plus score for India in these 25 innings. For someone who was India’s most important batter for three years, this is a worrying sign.
It isn’t just about numbers. SKY hasn’t looked at ease at the crease in a while even on good batting pitches. Timing was his biggest strength but that crisp timing seems to have deserted him. The shots that earned him the new Mr 360 title haven’t been coming off as well as before. His dot percentage has also gone up as he is struggling to rotate strike against both pace and spin.
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India have recently defeated Australia in Australia and South Africa in home conditions comfortably. But they are not without issues. India’s full strength bowling attack is arguably the best in the world, especially for the home conditions where the upcoming ICC event is set to be played.
However, the batting unit has several issues starting from the top order to the finishers. Shubman Gill’s form at the top of the order has been an issue for India and has drawn criticism as Sanju Samson has had to sit out to accommodate him.
Tilak Varma has blown hot and cold, sometimes playing blinders and struggling to score at a decent rate on occasions. Hardik Pandya has played a couple of outstanding knocks since his return from injury but his issues against hard lengths remain.
As things currently stand, there is a lot riding on Abhishek Sharma, who has been the best T20 batter in the world for a year now. But to win a competition, India can’t just rely on him.
Suryakumar Yadav is 35 years of age and it’s a period where players’ reflexes start to drop off gradually. Maintaining the level of performance after this age is one of the hardest challenges an athlete can face in any sport. For India to win the T20 World Cup 2026, their skipper must get his mojo back.
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