New Delhi: India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav downplayed concerns regarding his form ahead of the start of the five-match series against New Zealand.
The star batter admitted he is aware of his shortcomings, but insisted he is not too worried, as cricket is a team sport and not an individual game like tennis.
Suryakumar, who is set to lead India in the T20 World Cup 2026, which gets underway next month, will captain India in their upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, starting Wednesday, January 21. The five-match series will serve as a preparatory ground for both teams to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup.
With the T20 World Cup approaching, India’s biggest concern is the form of their captain. Once the no.1 T20I batter in the world, Suryakumar was a prolific run-getter in the shortest format and was one of the most consistent performers for Team India. However, his performances have gone downhill since taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma in 2024.
Since taking over as India’s T20I skipper, Suryakumar has managed only 748 runs in 38 matches at a poor average of 23.37 and a strike rate of 151.11. He has gone over 20 innings without scoring a half-century in T20Is despite batting at the crucial no.4 spot for India. Suryakumar last scored a T20I fifty in October 2024.
However, the Indian captain is not worried about his own form and believes he can regain his mojo soon. Suryakumar insisted he is working hard on his batting in practice and is confident performances will come.
“Yes, I’ve been batting really well, and the runs will definitely come. But at the same time, I don’t want to do things differently. I don’t want to change my identity — the things that have given me success over the past three or four years,” Suryakumar said in the pre-match press conference in Nagpur ahead of the 1st T20I against New Zealand at the VCA Stadium on Wednesday.
“I want to bat the same way. If performance comes, I’ll take it. If it doesn’t, I’ll go back to the drawing board, practice again, work hard and come back stronger,” he added.
I would think a lot more if cricket was an individual sport: Suryakumar
Suryakumar argued he would have worried a lot more about his own form if cricket was an individual sport. He insisted his focus remains on how the Indian team is performing under his leadership and that he is happy as long as the team does well, irrespective of his runs.
“If this were an individual sport like table tennis or lawn tennis, I would think a lot more. But this is a team sport,” said the Indian skipper.
“My first responsibility is how the team is doing. If the team is doing well and winning, I’m happy. If my performance comes along with that, great. If not, that’s okay — sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t,” he added.
Suryakumar endured a poor run in India’s last T20I series against South Africa at home. In four matches against the Proteas, the Indian skipper managed only 34 runs in five matches, increasing the team management’s headache ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. The Indian captain will be hoping to bounce back among the runs in the upcoming series against the Kiwis to regain his lost confidence.
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