Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes that the pace and bounce of Australian conditions will benefit India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav to regain his form in the five-match T20I series, which is scheduled to start from October 29.
Suryakumar Yadav's performance after becoming T20I captain
Suryakumar Yadav, who was appointed Rohit Sharma's deputy to lead India in T20Is, is currently going through a lean patch of his career. The stylish batter managed to score 72 runs in the seven matches of the Asia Cup 2025, where the Men in Blue defeated Pakistan in the final to win the title. Surya's best performance in the Asia Cup came against Pakistan in the group stage clash where he played a match-winning 47-run knock.
Abhishek Nayar on Suryakumar Yadav's performance
Since taking over as India’s T20I captain in July 2024, his form has dipped noticeably, having scored only 330 runs with two half-centuries to his name.
“This Australian tour presents an interesting scenario. While team victories often overshadow individual performances, any downturn in results will raise questions. As India's T20I Captain and someone who’s been the number one-ranked batter in T20I cricket for a long period of time, Suryakumar’s extended run without significant scores at number three will inevitably create internal scrutiny.
"We know his calibre and impact potential, and Australian conditions with their bounce and pace should actually benefit his batting style. Ultimately, the biggest questions will come from within, as this current output doesn’t reflect his true capabilities,” Nayar said on JioStar.
India vs Australia T20I series schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | October 29 | Manuka Oval, Canberra |
| 2nd T20I | October 31 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| 3rd T20I | November 2 | Bellerive Oval, Hobart |
| 4th T20I | November 6 | Gold Coast Stadium |
| 5th T20I | November 8 | The Gabba, Brisbane |
India's T20I squad vs Australia
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar