Suryakumar Yadav rediscovers form ahead of T20 World Cup

Suryakumar Yadav struck back-to-back fifties against New Zealand, rediscovering his touch ahead of the T20 World Cup. Experts Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra hailed his confidence and adaptability, noting his ability to handle pacers and spinners with calculated aggression

Visakhapatnam: Moments after India completed a stunning 10-over chase of 154 at Guwahati, New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell ran to Suryakumar Yadav and playfully inspected his bat.

Suryakumar had blasted a 26-ball 57, his second fifty in as many matches after a 37-ball 82 at Raipur.

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Perhaps Mitchell was just checking out the make of Suryakumar’s bat or it was open admiration of a player who can do astounding deeds with the willow.

When in flow, Suryakumar can have that effect on fans and opponents alike, evoking awe and appreciation in equal measure.

But for the team management, the emotion was more practical — relief. The skipper finding his touch is the brightest sign ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup.

Till January 23, the situation was different. Suryakumar had gone without a fifty in 23 innings, dating back to October 12, 2024, with only one 40-plus and one 30-plus score in that phase.

Another worrying trend was his dismissal by pacers 15 times within the first 10 balls.

In the second T20I at Raipur, the early dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson gave him time to consolidate. He started slowly, making 10 off 10 balls, before motoring to 72 in the next 27 deliveries.

Pacers, his nemesis till then, were taken apart. Zak Foulkes leaked 41 runs off 12 balls, while Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy conceded 14 off six and 16 off 11 respectively.

The dismantling of Foulkes was spectacular — sixes behind fine leg and over long-on, boundaries through point and third man, and strokes in the ‘V’. It was the return of the OG 360 batter.

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar acknowledged the significance of that innings. “The knock gave him exactly the confidence he needed. He hasn’t been short of form; he’s been short of runs. He has been batting very well in the nets. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of luck to get going. This time, he didn’t even need luck. His confidence is back,” Gavaskar told the host broadcaster.

It was evident again in the third match at Baraspara Stadium. India were 53 for two in 3.2 overs chasing 154. Suryakumar took his time, scoring 8 off 8 balls, while Abhishek Sharma went on a merry ride at a strike-rate of 345.

Suryakumar picked spinners cleverly — Glenn Phillips was taken for 15 off five balls, Ish Sodhi for 14 off eight, and Mitchell Santner for 18 off eight, mostly through sweeps and slog sweeps.

It was a clear indication that Suryakumar has found his groove, giving India insurance at No 4 for the occasional failure of Abhishek and Ishan Kishan at the top.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra echoed the view. “He seemed to have realised that he needs to spend some time in the middle. You have to accept that you need runs. Therefore, a lot of strokes along the ground and not taking too many chances. More importantly, he never allowed his ego to come in when Ishan Kishan was going hammer and tongs. These are important things as this is preparation for the World Cup,” Chopra said.