Imagine going into battle with your leader who has forgotten how to control his sword and is no longer able to strike the enemy with fear. How would the rest of the army feel? How would he command his troops to overtake their opponents?
Strategy would seem fragile, faith would falter, and the sense of invincibility would disappear long before the first blow was struck. That was the uneasy feeling surrounding India as they approached the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup, with their captain Suryakumar Yadav looking like a pale shadow of his former self and going through the leanest phase of his international career.
Although unbeaten since their T20 World Cup triumph, India needed their captain firing on all cylinders to stamp his authority as the favorite to lift the trophy on home soil.
However, it seemed too far-fetched Suryakumar continued to fail series after seriesoften returning to the pavilion with a wry smile on his face, almost laughing at his fate.
Suryakumar endured a major slump in form in 2025. (Photo: AP)
He seemed to use all his luck to help India pull away from defeat with a stunning boundary catch during the final of the 2024 FIFA World Cup T20 in Barbados, as what followed over the next 18 months was sheer bad luck.
From the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup to December 2025, Suryakumar has scored 448 runs from 28 innings at an average of 17.92, with just two fifties to his credit. The Indian skipper played an incredible 23 innings without a half-century, and the uproar over his place in the team grows stronger with each setback.
Surya shines against the Kiwis
As India headed into the World Cup, the pressure on the captain was immense, with many even questioning his place as the leader of the group. The belief that the embattled captain could inspire his team to a successful title defense was increasingly challenged and doubts pervaded the nation.
However, everything changed during the New Zealand series, when Suryakumar showed glimpses of his old self with a gritty knock of 32 off 22 balls in the series opener. He followed that up with a breathtaking 82* off 37 deliveries, studded with nine fours and four sixes, as he sent the ball to all corners of the ground with his trademark fine leg shots. Suryakumar made a roaring comeback during the New Zealand series. (PTI photo)
His knock saw India reach their joint highest target of 209 in just 15.2 overs to record an emphatic victory. He followed that up with an unbeaten 57* off 26 balls as India completed another quick run to score 154 in just ten overs.
Suryakumar then ended the series with 63 off 30 balls in the final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram, which helped set up another comprehensive 46-run victory for India.
It seemed as if Suryakumar has found his Midas touch when he was named Player of the Series for being the highest run-scorer in the rubber, he amassed 242 runs from five innings at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate of 196.74, with three fifties to his credit.
A lot has changed for Suryakumar Yadav from the end of the South Africa series in December 2025 to the start of the New Zealand series in January 2026. But the drastic transformation the India captain has been able to make in a month has left many wondering about his work ethic.
Reflecting on his comeback journey, Suryakumar revealed that he took a short break from training and analyzed his game from scratch.
How did Suryakumar script his comeback?
“When I got a break after the South Africa series, I came home. I packed my bag and left it in my room. I didn’t do anything for nine or 10 days and then when the new year started I started working out again. I said to myself, what went wrong last year? What was I missing? When I batted in 2021, 2022 and 2023, my first five or ten balls were speed strikes around 2023.” 250,” Suryakumar said in an interview with Star Sports.
He revealed how he adjusted to waiting for the crease, supporting his ability to accelerate later with his wide hitting range.
“Then I thought, let’s start spending a bit of time on the first five to seven balls, focus on that, and then later on, when I bowl the next 10 to 15 balls, the number of strikes will double. So I played a lot of simulated matches, practiced with friends who have known me for the last 10 to 15 years, and when I entered the series, I slowly felt comfortable, slowly I felt comfortable in Nagpur. this second Surya,” he added. Surya and Ishan Kishan played big time in the New Zealand series. (PTI photo)
Suryakumar has built a reputation for having some of the most stunning strokes known in the game. Suryakumar also revealed that he focused on more conventional strokes at the start of his innings and used a straight bat to build confidence.
“Absolutely. The thing is, I really understood my game when I was sitting at home. When I started practicing, my first five to seven balls, I wanted to take a little bit of time and hit a good shot either over the left or right side of the cover or straight. It gave me a lot of confidence and once my eye was set, I knew I could play all the shots I thought if I put all that work in, we would still follow that they held but it came out really well so I am very happy,” said Suryakumar.
Clarity, confidence and a reborn captain
No matter what he went through, the Indian captain never let his faith waver and always knew that he was just one good innings away from a strong bounce back.
“It feels really good. It’s been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I’ve always dreamed of when this time would come. As you mentioned earlier, when SKY is here, there’s no fear. I just kept doing the same thing I did last year and continued with my routines. I always knew I wasn’t out of shape, just out of shape,” Yadav said after Suryakumar’s presentation.
“For a year I felt like the sky wasn’t blue, but that’s sport and it’s part of life. I took it in my stride, went back to the drawing board and thought about what was wrong. That’s the life of a sportsperson. I’ve seen many careers, not just in cricket, go through similar phases. I knew my time would definitely come if I followed all the little things consistently,” he added.
With the World Cup just a week away, Suryakumar Yadav’s revival couldn’t have come at a better time. Apart from the number of runs and strikes, the clarity in his approach stands out. The fearless innovator has rediscovered patience without sacrificing purpose, blending serenity with chaos as only he can. More importantly, India once again have a captain whose presence at the crease calms the dressing room and unsettles the opposition.
As Suryakumar regains form, India have gotten rid of the one weak link in an otherwise formidable team that is already miles ahead of any other team in the world. With a captain returning to his old self, capable of leaving the bowlers bewildered by his breathtaking stroke play, India seem to have one hand firmly on the trophy. After a long year of gray, the sky really turned blue again.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 3, 2026
