A winning skipper on paper, but a fading batter at the crease
The Dubai night was loud with chants of triumph as India confirmed their place in the Asia
Cup 2025 final after defeating Bangladesh. The victory marked India’s fifth consecutive win in the competition and extended Suryakumar Yadav’s impressive record as captain. Yet beneath the celebration lies a quiet unease: the man at the helm, known for daring strokeplay and 360-degree wizardry, is failing to match his reputation with the bat.
When the captain is the weak link
Under Suryakumar’s leadership, India has won 22 of their 27 T20Is — a remarkable win percentage of 81.48. On paper, it is the kind of record every board aspires to have in a captain. But cricket is as much about perception as it is about statistics, and when the captain’s game goes quiet, doubts tend to grow.
Credit: India Today
In 2025 alone, SKY has scored just 87 runs in nine innings, averaging below ten and striking at a rate of merely 112.98, a stark contrast to his career strike rate of 165.23. Even in the ongoing Asia Cup, with India’s batting line-up frequently dominating, the skipper has appeared a shadow of his usual self, managing only 59 runs in five matches.
The contrast could not be more pronounced: only months ago, for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, SKY was brilliant, smashing 717 runs in 16 matches. Without the pressure of captaincy, he played with unrestrained freedom. Yet in international colours, the weight of expectation seems to have dulled his edge.
India’s winning machine but creaking joints
India’s march to the final has been driven by a new generation of batters. Abhishek Sharma’s dazzling half-centuries, Shubman Gill’s measured anchors, and Tilak Varma’s composure under pressure have given India room to breathe. Add to that Kuldeep Yadav’s mastery in the middle overs and Jasprit Bumrah’s strike bowling, and the Men in Blue seem unstoppable.
Credit: NDTV
However, the captain’s struggles cast a long shadow. Leadership in cricket is symbiotic — the runs scored at the top earn respect in the dressing room. Even MS Dhoni, whose tactical brilliance was unmatched, had to answer questions when his bat went silent. For Suryakumar, a batter renowned for his flamboyance, the drought feels doubly glaring.
Numbers that tell the tale
Suryakumar’s overall T20I record remains impressive: 2,657 runs in 88 matches, with 4 centuries, 21 fifties, and a strike rate that few in the world can match. Against Sri Lanka alone, India’s next opponents, he has dominated attacks with 346 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 167.14, including a blistering 112 not out in Rajkot.
However, past glory provides only fleeting cover. A dip of this severity — with increasing dot balls and diminishing fluency — threatens to undermine his authority as India’s long-term T20I leader.
A crossroad moment
India’s final stretch in the Asia Cup 2025 will test not just the team but the captain himself. Another string of low scores, and selectors may begin to question whether leadership and batting brilliance can coexist in one man’s shoulders.
For now, India is winning, and winning convincingly. But tournaments are not only won with scorecards; they are won with belief. And unless Suryakumar finds the rhythm that made him the world’s most feared T20 batter, he risks being remembered as a successful captain who failed to carry his own bat.
