India to focus on Suryakumar Yadav’s form in first T20I against Australia
India's first T20I against Australia will focus on Suryakumar Yadav's form after a lean patch. Despite leading India to success, his recent struggles with the bat are a concern. The series marks India’s T20 World Cup preparation
Canberra: The leadership of Suryakumar Yadav will inspire the batter in him to step up and start contributing significantly with the bat when India take on Australia in the opening T20 International here on Wednesday. It promises to be a balanced contest, with both teams having won eight of their last 10 T20I matches, with a defeat each. While India had one tied game, Australia had one match washed out.
Though the captain’s prolonged poor form is a cause for concern, the Indian T20 team has been the best among the three national outfits, almost functioning on autopilot, with the new players taking to their roles like fish to water.
Since being appointed captain, Suryakumar’s record has been phenomenal in terms of results, with 23 wins in 29 games so far, following the new template of fearless cricket where every batter goes all out from the first ball.
The aggression at all costs and Surya’s leadership skills have worked well, with an unbeaten bilateral series record and the Asia Cup triumph, though against second-rung continental teams, including Pakistan, who remain far behind India in terms of skill, quality, and execution.
The Australia series marks the start of India’s real preparation for the T20 World Cup early next year, with 15 games to get into rhythm.
However, one could argue that the result of this series will not have a major impact, as the next 10 games against South Africa and New Zealand will be played in familiar conditions, similar to what they are likely to encounter in the T20 World Cup.
While head coach Gautam Gambhir was unequivocal in his support for Surya, asserting that he need not worry about his string of low scores, it is indeed time for the captain to let his bat do the talking.
In 2023, Surya played 18 innings, scoring 733 runs at a strike rate of nearly 156, which included two centuries and five half-centuries. In 2024, he scored just under 450 runs at a strike rate of 151, but in 2025, the Indian captain has managed only 100 runs from 10 innings at an average of 11 runs per game.
What stands out as an anomaly is his strike rate of over 105, which suggests that while he has struggled for runs, he hasn’t abandoned his attacking intent.
“I feel I have been working really hard. Not that I wasn’t working hard before. I have had a few good sessions back home and a couple here, so I am in a good space,” the skipper said at the pre-series press conference at the Manuka Oval.
The skipper once again stressed the importance of the team’s goal.
“Runs will come eventually, but I’m working hard towards the
team goal. It is more important to focus on what the team needs from you in different situations, and I take it one game at a time. Once I get going, I think it will be a good thing.”
For someone like Abhishek Sharma, who became the toast of the nation in the Asia Cup, tackling the extra bounce on Australian pitches will be a new challenge, and hence the captain’s contribution becomes all the more crucial.
The problem with Surya has been his limited range of strokes and his tendency to always play behind the square, using the pace and bounce of the deliveries.
While the bounce at the Manuka Oval gives him an opportunity to capitalise on it, Josh Hazlewood’s presence and his Test match lengths in the off-stump corridor will pose challenges.
This will not only be a new challenge for someone like Abhishek but also an old set of questions for the Indian skipper, with critics often pointing out that he has not consistently scored against top teams in recent years.
In terms of the bowling attack, Jasprit Bumrah’s presence and Varun Chakravarthy’s guile will be crucial if the Indian batters are to post a decent total.
The 12 overs from Varun, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel will be vital, along with the opening spells from Bumrah and Arshdeep against Travis Head and the dangerous Mitchell Marsh.
All eyes will also be on Mitchell Owen, Australia’s new T20 star who played a game for Punjab Kings last year. Owen was terrific against India in a recent ODI in Adelaide, but the possibility of facing 12 overs of slow bowling will definitely test his hitting skills.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Sean Abbott (Games 1-3), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (Games 3-5), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (Games 4-5), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (Games 1-2), Glenn Maxwell (Games 3-5), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis.
Match Starts: 1:45 pm.
