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Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane is looking forward to seeing how Suryakumar Yadav performs in Asia Cup 2025. This is due to the fact that the latter recently had a sports hernia surgery in Germany and hasn't been in action since then. The India T20I captain's last appearance for the side in the shortest format was in the five-match series against England and it is safe to say that his batting performances during the assignment weren't great.
Suryakumar only managed to score a total of 28 runs in the five matches against England, recording ducks in two games. The previous four-match T20I series against South Africa wasn't anything better as he only scored 26 runs in the three games he batted in.
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However, the 34-year-old bounced back in sensational fashion during IPL 2025. He finished as the second-highest run-getter of the season with 717 runs from 16 matches for the Mumbai Indians. Suryakumar recorded five 50+ scores during the campaign and maintained an explosive strike-rate of 167.91.
Rahane highlighted how Suryakumar came roaring back in the IPL after giving dismal performances with the bat in the Men in Blue's previous two T20I assignments. He further remarked that it will be highly important for the India captain to give big contributions with the bat in Asia Cup.
"Didn't have a good series against England, but came back to form in IPL with five fifties and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with a healthy strike rate. We all know Surya is a dangerous batter. In this format, he has done really well. But it will be interesting to see how he goes about his batting, especially after the surgery," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
"As a captain, he has been fantastic. He is a proactive captain, led the team really well in the past, but I feel, in this Asia Cup, his batting will be really important," he added.
Suryakumar's captaincy record is stunning
Meanwhile, his bat may have not fired in his last few T20I appearances, but Suryakumar's record as India's skipper in the shortest format is nothing short of fantastic. After the 34-year-old was named the Men in Blue's permanent captain in 2024, the side are yet to record a series defeat under his leadership. They have won all of their last four assignments in the format and will be looking to continue this stellar form in the Asia Cup as well.
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