Why Suryakumar Yadav’s return to form matters for India at the World Cup

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav found himself searching for runs over the last year after being on top of the Twenty20 rankings. While his runs dried up, confidence and faith remained firmly in place.

“I feel I am not out of form, I feel I am out of runs,” Suryakumar said at the post-match press conference following the Asia Cup final. “I believe more in what I am doing in the nets and my preparation. So in matches, things are on autopilot.”

While he was not scoring runs, the 35-year-old had to handle the burden of captaincy and the controversies surrounding India and Pakistan during the Asia Cup after their kinetic conflict. However, SKY, as he is popularly known, has turned a new page by getting back to his best, scoring two consecutive half-centuries during the current T20 series against New Zealand.

Suryakumar’s return has a significant impact on India’s fortunes when they begin their defence in the Twenty20 World Cup to be held at home and in Sri Lanka from February 7.

Suryakumar Yadav's T20I performance year-wise

The middle-order batter can turn a match on its head with his 360-degree game, picking the gaps at will. Knowing that such a match-winner is to follow them, the top three, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan will get the licence to thrill with their audacious shot-making skills.

The ultra-aggressive approach and the depth of the batting have made any target a meagre one for India in Twenty20. Against these guys, a score of 300 is a par score, New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner felt after the loss in Raipur last Friday, and true enough, the Men in Blue chased a target of 153 in just 10 overs in the third game in Guwahati on Sunday.

That is the class of Suryakumar. No team has the capacity to keep him quiet. Suryakumar had blasted a 26-ball 57, his second fifty in as many matches after a 37-ball 82 at Raipur. The knock was so powerful, New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell playfully checked the bat to see if it was made of willow or another material. 

Batting first, New Zealand could not find the going easy, but when India began their chase, Suryakumar made batting look easy, wielding his willow like a magician and keeping the crowd on their feet. Looking back, his bat had gone silent in the last couple of years. From the highs of 2022 to 2023, the Mumbai batter’s performance dipped alarmingly to an average of 13-plus last year.

Suryakumar had endured a long wait for a half-century, having gone 23 innings without reaching the mark since October 12, 2024, with just one score above 40 and another in the 30s during that stretch.

But his lack of runs didn’t affect his captaincy, and he has an impeccable record, after having won against Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, and the Asia Cup, where India won seven games in a row to win their ninth title.

India’s winning run continued even after humbling South Africa 3-1 at home, and now they have an unassailable 3-0 lead over New Zealand. A perfect run-up to the World Cup, where the Men in Blue will start as the favourites.

With dreaded finishers like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya to follow and all-rounders like Shivam Dube and Axar Patel in the ranks, India could bat their opponents out of the game. But when SKY is present, the improvisation that he creates makes their bowlers try hard and, in the process, play into his hands. 

Suryakumar can demoralise the bowling attack, and the two-time T20 Player of the Year winner had a lean World Cup in the Caribbean Islands in 2024. But the confidence he has gained with the two half-centuries makes him more dangerous.

The ever-smiling skipper’s biggest forte is his consistency, and he could extend his purple patch with an eye on history, as no other team has defended the Twenty20 World Cup. Time to make a statement.