E-Paper
Sign in
Suryakumar Yadav not even in Asia Cup 2025's top-15 run scorers, it's now or never against Pakistan
Asia Cup 2025: In the six matches he has played in the ongoing edition, India captain Suryakumar Yadav managed just 71 runs, with his highest being 47 not out.
Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20I captain, is arguably one of the best batters the shortest format of the game has ever seen. However, his form in international matches in 2025 has left much to be desired, and there isn't much to boast about. One of the nicest figures in the sport, Suryakumar has been having a torrid run of late, and his form can be guessed with the fact that even Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi is ahead of him in the Asia Cup 2025 run-scoring charts.
The right-handed batter, who turned 35 earlier this month, is not even among Asia Cup 2025's top-15 run scorers. He has just 71 runs to his name in six matches, an average of 23.66, and a strike rate of 107.57. His numbers would have looked all the more abysmal had he not played an unbeaten 47-run knock against Pakistan in the Group A match on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium.
The Indian captain would himself agree that he wasn't at his best, even in the 47-run knock, as he looked modest at best. The base for an Indian victory was set up by opening batter Abhishek Sharma, who played a whirlwind cameo of 31 runs.
Even in the five-match T20I series against England earlier this year, Suryakumar managed just 28 runs with a horrendous average of 5.60. The experienced campaigner then had a memorable Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign for the Mumbai Indians, scoring 717 runs, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the entire edition, only behind Sai Sudharsan's Gujarat Titans.
This rich vein of form led people to believe that Suryakumar would turn a corner in the Asia Cup and be one of the standout performers. However, reality is completely different as the right-hander has looked scratchy and uneasy.
Suryakumar has looked like a pale shadow of his 360-degree player persona in 2025 when it comes to international matches, and it's time for the batter to turn a corner in the all-important Asia Cup 2025 final against arch-rival Pakistan.
The Indian captain has been the standout skipper in T20Is, as the side have had an envious record in the last year or so. However, even Surya would agree that his role as a batter has taken a backseat. One of the major reasons behind his batting suffering has to be the floating batting positions, which he himself volunteered.
In the 10 innings he played in 2025, Suryakumar hit just 10 fours and three sixes, with his dot ball percentage going up. In the Asia Cup, the bowlers have also come with homework done as they are not letting Surya open his arms and go for his signature shots.
What can Suryakumar look to do?
First things first, Suryakumar needs to give himself some time in the middle. There's no harm in playing 4-5 balls to get his eyes in and then going for the jugular. The right-hander can make up for the dot balls later on as he has the ability to hit sixes at his will.
With Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill going hell for leather from ball number one, the team's scoring rate isn't a cause of worry, and Suryakumar can allow himself to get his eye in when he first walks out to the crease against Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub will be the spinners in Pakistan's attack. Only one of the trioka has the ability to spin the ball big, and that is Abrar. Suryakumar needs to focus on rotating the strike at first, and once in, he can go for the kill, throwing these spinners off their game.
With India taking on Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final, it's now or never for the captain. A failure in the summit clash might bring the daggers out for him, and a successful outing with the bat will put an end to all the critics and naysayers. It's time for Suryakumar to let his bat do all the talking and then offer a smile because, as they say, kill them with kindness.
Get live streaming and exclusive coverage of the Asia Cup with HT's OTT Sports 365 pack.
