“Not from form, but from running.
It’s a line Suryakumar Yadav has repeatedly backed down in recent monthsalmost as if saying it out loud could solidify the ground beneath him. He first offered it at the Asia Cup press conference in September, when the conversation had already begun to drift. He returned to it after the third T20I against South Africa in Dharamsala. Each time the thought was the same and faintly comforting: the work is good, the intent hasn’t changed, and the runs will arrive in their own time.
“I was hitting the nets beautifully. I’m trying everything I can, that I can control,” he said. “When the runs are going to come, they will definitely come. I’m not out of form, but definitely out of runs.”
On Sunday, the tone sharpened. “My soldiers, 14 of them, are covering me for now. They know what will happen the day I fire.”
It should have sounded sure. Instead, he felt uneasy because the numbers are too loud to ignore.
India T20 World Cup 2026 Squad
Suryakumar’s T20I brilliance was a no-show in 2025. (PTI Photo)
STUNNING T20I NUMBERS
Suryakumar’s T20I year has been ruthless. Nineteen innings. Two hundred and eighteen runs. Average 13.62. No half century. Highest score of 47 recorded months ago during the Asia Cup. In the recent home series against South Africa, he made 34 runs in four innings as India cruised to a comfortable series win. The team moved smoothly. Captain no.
What complicates things is that this is not a sudden collapse. The warning signs have been visible for some time. He scored 26 runs in three innings in South Africa last November, a tour remembered as much for his decision to vacate the No.3 spot for Tilak Varma as for his own lack of impact. The home series against England in January brought little relief. There was a brief glimmer in Australia in October, with a few innings played at a healthier pace, but it faded quickly. The South Africa series only confirmed what had already settled into the pattern.
There is no single fault that calls out for correction. It does not fall into the same serve or the same stroke. There is no obvious technical fault requiring immediate repair. In some ways, that should be reassuring. In others, it is disturbing.
Look closer and more subtle signs emerge. Since his last truly commanding innings, his returns against pace have plummeted. The improvisation behind the goal is still there, but the scoring in front of the goal has slowed down. Power on the ground requires precise movement and balance. Lately, Suryakumar has looked slightly late to the position, the touch more static on contact, mistimed moves that once came instinctively. Surya was unable to hit with the bat against SA or AUS. (PTI photo)
At 35, there is little margin for these fractions. He’s already undergone sports hernia surgery this year, and for a batsman whose greatness has always rested more on timing and imagination than brute force, even minor glitches can be magnified.
There is also the invisible weight of expectation. As captain and as one of India’s most celebrated T20 batsmen of the last decade, every low score carries extra weight. Some recent ejections suggest that the player is trying to push the moment, looking for one strike to announce a comeback instead of letting the inning expire. People around the setup insist that the effort never let up. During the Asia Cup, he spent long hours in the nets, conditioning and persevering. Preparation was not a problem. The output has
Ordinarily, such a run would raise serious selection questions. But Suryakumar occupies rare space. India keep winning. Others continue to contribute. His lack of runs has yet to change the results and that has bought him time.
WORDS BECOME A BURDEN
However, time is finite. He averages just over 13 in his last 24 T20Is. That would be indefensible for most players. Management can only mitigate bad form so far. The principle remains simple: first select the XI, then the captain.
The unrest was further heightened when Shubman Gill, the vice-captain, was left out of the T20 World Cup squad. Gill’s dismissal was framed around form and balance. The message was unmistakable. Reputation or explosive statements do not guarantee protection. Performance still rules.
Those familiar with the current leadership group understand this well. Authority in the dressing room comes from runs and wickets, not past brilliance. The captain with no exit eventually loses his voiceno matter how strong it once was.
Perhaps the most damaging element of this phase was what happened outside the crease. Every defiant bite, every public declaration of inevitability raises the stakes if the bat remains silent. What once sounded like confidence now risks being read as deviation. The gap between words and runs is widening and the supporters are feeling it.
Ultimately, cricket is brutally simple. Running silences everything. No explanation.
Suryakumar remains one of India’s greatest T20 match winners, second only to Jasprit Bumrah in his ability to bend games to his will. His peak was extraordinary and not so distant as to be considered nostalgia. But credibility at this level is inexorably present. It cannot be spoken into existence. He has to earn it again, ball by ball. Can Surya rediscover his form in time for the T20 World Cup? (Photo: PTI)
Continuity still makes sense. India is winning under him. Changing management on the eve of the World Cup carries an obvious risk, which explains why he remains captain. Also playing in his favor was an early tournament and a dip in form for Gill, who was seen as a future leader across all formats.
With only one T20I series remaining before the World Cup, against New Zealand from January 21-31, no disruption will be wanted by the selection committee. This stretch is Suryakumar’s last window to set things right. Whether that means batting at No. 3 or No. 4 is beside the point. The method is irrelevant. There is no output.
India are aiming for a historic third title. To do this, the captain must lead from the front. If the runs continue to dry up, the burden on the team will increase, regardless of how many others are covering it. India began their campaign against the United States on 7 February, with the clash against Pakistan on 15 February looming large.
Sentiment, like form, has an expiration date.
If Suryakumar Yadav is to regain control of his narrative, the path is clear and uncharted. Less noise. Fewer proclamations. More runs.
It’s time to let the bat do the talking.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
December 23, 2025
