India head coach Gautam Gambhir has backed T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav's lean patch ahead of the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia. According to Gambhir, 'failures are inevitable' when the team is focused on playing an ultra-aggressive brand of cricket.
Gautam Gambhir for Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar last captained India in the Asia Cup 2025 win in the UAE, where he managed to score 72 runs in seven innings as the team under his leadership remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, defeating Pakistan in the title decider. Gambhir, who is currently in Australia, backed the skipper.
"Honestly, Surya's batting form doesn't concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you embrace this philosophy, failures are inevitable," Gambhir said during a discussion on JioHotstar.
"It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it's acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach," he added.
Gambhir for Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma
However, as Surya was struggling, young batters Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma were India's key batters in the tournament with their destructive batting. Gambhir said the focus is not on individuals but on the team as a whole.
"Currently, Abhishek Sharma is in good form and has maintained it throughout the Asia Cup. When Surya finds his rhythm, he will shoulder the responsibility accordingly.
"In T20 cricket, our focus isn't on individual runs but on the brand of cricket we want to play. With our aggressive style, batters may fail more often, but impact ultimately matters more than mere runs," Gambhir said.
India's T20I schedule vs Australia
| 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