{"id":231480,"date":"2025-02-04T10:19:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T10:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/is-t20i-captaincy-weighing-suryakumar-yadav-down-cricket-news-the-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T10:19:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T10:19:06","slug":"is-t20i-captaincy-weighing-suryakumar-yadav-down-cricket-news-the-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/is-t20i-captaincy-weighing-suryakumar-yadav-down-cricket-news-the-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Is T20I captaincy weighing Suryakumar Yadav down? | Cricket News – The Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Suryakumar Yadav (BCCI Photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NEW DELHI: India have emerged as a dominant force in T20Is under skipper Suryakumar Yadav<\/a> but the form of ‘Mr. 360’ has now become a growing concern. Since taking over the captaincy in 2023, Suryakumar has led India in 22 matches, securing 17 wins and a win percentage of 79.54%. However, there has been a noticeable dip in his individual form since donning the captain’s armband.<\/p>\n

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Poll<\/p>\n

Do You Think Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I Captaincy is Affecting His Batting Form?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As captain, Suryakumar has played 22 matches, scoring 558 runs at an average of 26.57, with 1 century and 4 half-centuries. This is a major drop from the outstanding numbers he had when captaincy responsibility wasn’t there. In 61 matches, he had scored 2040 runs at an average of 43.40, including 3 centuries and 17 half-centuries.
Despite his outstanding captaincy record, Suryakumar\u2014the batter known for his audacious strokeplay\u2014is struggling for form and searching for runs.<\/p>\n

In the recent five-match T20I series against England, which India won 4-1, his batting woes continued as he managed just 28 runs, including two ducks, at a disappointing average of 5.60. He repeatedly fell victim to his trademark flick shot against England\u2019s fast bowlers.<\/p>\n

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Is captaincy affecting Suryakumar’s batting?
Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer<\/a> believes Suryakumar\u2019s reliance on leg-side shots has been exposed, with opponents formulating specific plans to counter him. Jaffer suggests that the right-hander needs to expand his shot selection and find ways to score in other areas, particularly on the off side, to regain his form.<\/p>\n

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What does Shubman Gill’s horoscope say about his captaincy future<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“He has done a good job as captain. He knows his role, and I am sure he has the clarity that he needs to lead this group of players ahead of the World Cup next year. Only one or two changes might take place, maximum. It\u2019s not easy for a player to play all three formats, but it\u2019s good that he has the clarity to focus on one. He has done brilliant captaincy in the T20Is so far, but his personal form has been low as a batsman,” Jaffer told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s not among the runs, and he needs to address that because he is such a good batter in the shortest format of the game and has been a game-changer for the team. So, him not scoring runs for a while is a worry,” he added.
In the first T20I against England, Suryakumar was completely bamboozled by an off-cutter from Jofra Archer. As he shuffled across to play the shot, he got a leading edge, and Phil Salt made no mistake in taking an easy catch.<\/p>\n

In the second T20I, Suryakumar attempted to work the ball towards the leg side but was rushed by the pace of Brydon Carse. The ball struck the middle of his bat before deflecting onto the stumps, leading to his dismissal. In the third T20I, he once again stepped inside the line, attempting a scoop off Mark Wood. However, he got a top edge, gifting another simple catch to Salt.<\/p>\n

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In the fourth T20I, the right-hander shuffled across to whip a delivery from Saqib Mahmood but ended up offering a straightforward catch to Carse at short mid-on.
In the fifth and final T20I, Suryakumar had a chance to regain his form but repeated the same mistake. He attempted to flick a pitched-up delivery from Carse, only to get a leading edge, and once again, keeper Salt took the catch to send him back.
“I wouldn\u2019t say his form has dipped because of the captaincy. I think it\u2019s more about his shot selection in one particular area. He looks to score on the leg side only. He has been scoring and dominating the areas between square leg and fine leg. That\u2019s what I feel. He needs to address his offside shots as well,” Jaffer explained.
“Every team now knows how to bowl to Surya. They come with a specific plan and field against him. Everyone knows he hits the ball in that area only. He needs to address this by scoring in different areas. Sometimes, it seems like he has completely shut down his shots on the offside. He needs to look at his game and get it right. He\u2019s picking the wrong ball to hit, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s getting out. He\u2019s been getting out on low scores for a while now. He is a quality player, and I\u2019m sure he will address this soon and come back to form,” the former cricketer added.
Is dual responsibility playing a role too?
“Yes, the dual responsibility does play a role. There\u2019s no doubt about that. As a captain, you have to handle the team, motivate the players, deal with the support staff, go for the toss, keep players in the right frame of mind, manage team combinations, wins, and losses, speak to selectors, and handle a lot more. But when you\u2019re not the captain, you just focus on your batting or bowling, and you focus solely on yourself,” said Jaffer.
Former India wicketkeeper Kiran More<\/a>, who has closely observed Suryakumar at Mumbai Indians, believes the right-hander is just one good innings away from regaining his form with the bat. More, a veteran of 49 Tests and 94 ODIs, acknowledged that Suryakumar is experiencing a rough patch and emphasised the need to support him during this phase.<\/p>\n

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“He has done really well. He has a very good track record as a T20I captain so far, and he is leading from the front. The way he is handling players, especially bowlers, is amazing. He is using his bowlers wisely in every match he captains. Before the World Cup, we seem to be on the right track. The process is there. We are checking every box, including captaincy. New players and new bowlers are coming in, and Surya is giving them all the freedom, just as Virat and Rohit did. Surya is doing a very good job,” More said.
“Everybody goes through phases like this. He has batted exceptionally well and won matches for us. We\u2019ve seen how he bats and has the ability to turn matches on their head. So, it’s just a phase. One or two bad series with the bat doesn’t make him a bad batter. He is absolutely a top player and a gun player. That\u2019s why he is there as captain. It’s not like he has been given the captaincy just like that. He is a top player and will be back to form soon. We shouldn’t be worrying about him in that regard. Let\u2019s back him,” he added.
Since he is playing just one format for the country at the moment, Surya needs to use the Indian Premier League fixtures for Mumbai Indians to roar back to form. The captain not scoring is not ideal in any set-up!<\/div>\n