IND vs NZ 2026: 'I’ve been batting really well, and the runs will definitely come' - Suryakumar Yadav is not losing hope despite prolonged lean pat...

Suryakumar Yadav has been going through a rough patch with the bat in T20Is, failing to score the big runs for quite some time. However, the Indian T20I captain said that he is happier that the team is winning.

Since Suryakumar took up captaincy of the Indian T20 team in June 2024, the Men in Blue haven't lost a series in the shortest format. They recently blew away a strong South African side 3-1 in a five-match series. Now, they will face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, starting with the first

game in Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21.

Suryakumar could aggregate only 218 runs from 19 innings at an average of 13.62 and a strike rate of 123.16 in 2025. He failed to notch up a half-century in the shortest format in internationals. However, the 35-year-old believes that runs will come sooner rather than later and asserted that he wouldn't change his batting approach to turn his fortunes.

"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 Yadav said at the pre-match press conference in Nagpur.

"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.

Suryakumar said that cricket is a team game and not an individual sport like table tennis or lawn tennis. He stated that the team's performance is much more important to him than personal achievements and the milestones he could achieve.

"If this were an individual sport like table tennis or lawn tennis, I would think a lot more. But this is a team sport. 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.

"At the same time, I have to look after the other 14 players and the support staff as well. I’ve been appointed as the leader, so I have everyone’s responsibility. In a team sport, there’s no room for personal milestones. Everyone has to step up, do well, and be happy for each other. That’s the most important thing in a team environment, and that’s what I like to do," he added.

Captaincy not affecting batting: Suryakumar asserts

Suryakumar was asked whether the pressure of captaincy has been affecting his batting performance. The Mumbai batter rejected the notion, saying that he scored a lot of runs during the first few matches after becoming the captain. He manifested that the first T20I against New Zealand could be the game where he finds form.

"If you are leading such a big team, there will be pressure. Nobody plays without pressure. Yes, it has happened (dip in form) after I took over captaincy. But, if you look at it, after becoming captain, in my first 7-8 T20Is, I scored a hundred and a few fifties. These things happen. I will keep working hard; it’s in my hands. Leading the team well is in my hands. I will try to do well, if it happens, good. Who knows, I will be able to find the touch tomorrow, and the form doesn’t stop until the end of the World Cup," Suryakumar added.