The sky has been the limit for Suryakumar Yadav ever since he stormed into T20 International cricket in March 2021, quickly establishing himself as one of the top batters of the format.
Lately, though, things haven’t been too bright for Surya as, despite India’s immensely consistent run in T20Is, runs haven’t been coming off his blade.
Quality batsmen going through lean patches aren’t at all uncommon in international cricket. But the worrying part for Surya is, the rough patch he has hit appears to be an extended one.
Since his last T20I half-century (75 off 35 balls) that came in October 2024 (against Bangladesh in Hyderabad), an unbeaten 47 against Pakistan in Dubai in last year’s Asia Cup and a 39 not out against Australia in Canberra thereafter have been the only two scores of note from Surya. One felt the India T20I captain would regain at least some form in the home T20Is against South Africa, but all that Surya could manage were only 34 runs from four games.
In all fairness, going into next year’s T20 World Cup at home, India have most of their bases covered. However, for a successful defence of their Cup crown, India would also need their skipper to be back amongst runs.
On his part, though, Surya remains confident of making amends and regaining his flow in the upcoming home T20Is against New Zealand — beginning in Nagpur on January 21 — which will serve as India’s dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup. “I am sure everyone has seen this in their respective careers. I know what to do. I know where things are going wrong.
“I have got some time to work on it. We have the New Zealand series coming up and then the important T20 World Cup. You will definitely see Surya the batter,” the skipper, who will be batting at No. 4 after Tilak Varma in the World Cup, had expressed last month after the announcement of the Indian squad for the T20 showpiece.
Now, what exactly seems to be Surya’s problem? Is it just a lean patch? Or, is there a problem with his reflexes?
“It’s the T20 format, so this has nothing to do with Surya’s technique. The problem is mindset and maybe tactical,” former Mumbai coach Sulakashan Kulkarni, tracking Surya’s progress since the 35-year-old’s U-19 days, told The Telegraph on Thursday.
“That unbeaten 47 against Pakistan was an important knock from him. But sometimes what happens is, because of not getting enough opportunities to bat — especially when your opponents get dismissed cheaply — your rhythm can get affected. Surya appeared to have had that experience in the Asia Cup.
“But given his capacity as a batsman and his style of operating, he shouldn’t be running after runs. What he needs to do is just set himself small targets of five balls each. That way, if he can survive 10 to 15 balls, runs will, in any case, flow from his bat,” Kulkarni, currently deputy head coach of Oman, explained.
“He is not a player who’ll score only 10 runs if he faces 15 balls. He will score at least 25, if not more. So, that way, if he can face 20 to 25 balls, he has every chance of getting close to 50. But first, he needs to set such small targets as these help in simplifying matters.”
According to a former national selector, judgement is another important factor for Surya to regain his touch. “In Surya’s case, judgement plays an important role as he needs to be clear and certain about which shot could work off a particular delivery and help him clear the boundary, and which won’t.
“Keeping the nature of the pitch and overall conditions in mind, judicious selection of shots becomes key,” the ex-selector said.
Time is ticking for skipper Surya, something he too must be aware of. Nonetheless, the two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches he is slated to play for Mumbai on January 6 and 8 against Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, respectively, give him an opportunity to warm up for the tougher tests thereafter.