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Think about scoring runs. Not how you're getting out: Australia great sends blunt message to struggling Suryakumar Yadav
As India prepares for the T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav seeks to regain his form. Ricky Ponting advises embracing a fearless approach.
India’s T20 World Cup countdown has a major subplot: the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, is searching for his chaos again.
Ricky Ponting thinks the solution isn’t technical tinkering - it’s mental freedom, and a return to what made SKY the most disruptive batter in the format.
“Think about scoring runs”: Ricky Ponting
Ponting’s starting point is blunt surprise. “That’s a big surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He’s been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn’t been able to find it of late,” said Ponting.
The numbers back the concern. Suryakumar Yadav has managed only 218 runs in 19 innings in 2015, at a strike rate of 123.16, modest by his standards and by the demands of modern T20.
Recent analysis has also pointed to a sharper split: Surya has coped better against spin in this lean run, but pace has dragged him into bat-ball risk and quick dismissals. That is the context in which Ponting’s back yourself line lands, as a reset to intent and decision-making, not a plea to bat safer.
But Ricky Ponting's bigger point is that this is a player who has always had a slightly unusual ignition sequence. “He’s an interesting one because I’ve seen him play his best, he’s taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go,” said Ponting.
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That’s why he frames the fix as permission, not caution, a reminder to embrace the “shots everywhere” identity that made Surya’s T20I record stand out, with a career strike rate north of 160.
“He plays all of his shots and backs himself, and a bit like Travis Head, where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out,” Ponting noted. “That’s why I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out.”
The message ends with a direct push to reclaim his status among the game’s best. “Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again.”
For India, the timing is obvious. The T20 World Cup begins on 7 February and runs until 8 March, with India and Sri Lanka hosting. If Surya rediscovers his fearless tempo, India’s middle overs can become the break in the game again.
