Australia vs India 4th T20I: 2025 - A year of struggles for Suryakumar Yadav
When Suryakumar Yadav dumped Adam Zampa for successive sixes on the leg-side through slog sweeps, the feeling was that this would finally be a big innings for the India captain. However, it turned out to be another short stay at the crease for Suryakumar.
A pacy hard length delivery from Xavier Bartlett found the mishit from India's no.3 and he was caught at deep square leg. A 10-ball 20 is what his innings eventually turned out to be and it extends the lean patch for the 35-year-old who has endured a torrid 2025 with the bat in the shortest format.
In 15 innings this year, Suryakumar has only crossed 20 on four occasions and has already registered three ducks. A tally of just 184 runs at a strike rate of only 127.78 is extremely underwhelming for someone who was the top-ranked T20I batter not too long ago. The Mumbai batter also has a career strike rate of 164, which shows how big the dip in form is this year.
Ironically, Suryakumar has seldom looked like a batter struggling for runs and yet, the runs have simply not come for him. There have been glimpses of his old self but the big knocks have eluded him so far in 2025. The competition for places in the India camp is immense and at 35, time isn't exactly Suryakumar's friend at the moment.
That said, Suryakumar's spot shouldn't be in any trouble at the moment. With just four months left for the T20 World Cup, it is unlikely that India will want a change in captaincy. Especially with the team's stellar T20I record post-2024 T20 World Cup. Given his ability to play 360 degrees and the dynamic intent he possesses, Suryakumar remains a key part of India's T20 plans.
The other thing is about Suryakumar's leadership. He is known to be a calm and composed personality, and is the senior-most figure in this side. Even as the scramble for spots continues, his position doesn't seem to be in any threat just yet. However, it is imperative that Suryakumar gets a few good knocks under his belt before the World Cup.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have shown that they won't shy away from making ruthless calls. Therefore, it is upto India's T20I captain to get back to form at the earliest.
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