After leading India to 3-1 T20I series win over South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav confessed that the only thing missing in this outing was his form. India defeated South Africa by 30 runs in the fifth T20I at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on December 19.
Only thing we couldn’t manage was finding Surya the batter: Suryakumar Yadav
But Suryakumar's form remained the constant point of concern throughout the series. He had another quiet series, having scored just 34 runs across four matches at an average of 8.50.
"Maybe the only thing we couldn’t quite manage was finding “Surya the batter” I think he went missing somewhere!(smiles) But he’ll be back stronger. As a team, I’m really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through. As captain, that’s very satisfying," Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
"From the start of the series, we wanted to stick to a particular brand of cricket and we did exactly that. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted to express ourselves in all departments and the results are right there in front of everyone. Yeah, this is something we felt was missing in our last few series. This is exactly how we wanted to bat, once someone gets going, they don’t stop. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully. Yes, we wanted to try something different. The plan was to use Bumrah in one over in the powerplay, control the middle phase after drinks and then have him ready for the death overs. Washi stepped up brilliantly today and took responsibility. We were under pressure at times, we were challenged, but this game is about how you respond and the boys did really well. It’s been challenging but a very good series. We did almost everything we wanted to," he added.
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Suryakumar Yadav's worrisome form ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
Suryakumar's performance in the fifth T20I against South Africa served as a microcosm of a challenging season, ending in another early dismissal and the same lingering questions about his form. The world’s once-premier T20 batter finished the year without a single half-century to his name, cutting a dejected figure as he walked back to the pavilion yet again.
His brief stay at the crease in the fifth T20I was uncharacteristically labored. Struggling to find his rhythm against the disciplined spin of George Linde, Suryakumar managed just 5 runs off 6 deliveries. In a desperate attempt to break the shackles against the pace of Corbin Bosch, he mistimed a shot off a hard-length delivery, resulting in a simple catch to mid-off. This dismissal left India at 115 for 3 and marked another low point for the skipper, who appeared visibly weighed down by his prolonged slump.
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The statistical decline of the Indian captain has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Suryakumar has now gone nearly 14 months and 25 matches without a T20I fifty, with his last major score dating back to October 2024. In 2025 alone, his numbers fell off a cliff; he averaged a mere 14 across 22 matches with a strike rate of 125. The recently concluded series against the Proteas was particularly lean, as he scraped together only 34 runs at an average of 8.5.
These current figures stand in stark, almost unrecognizable contrast to his illustrious career benchmarks. While his overall career average of 35.29 and a strike rate of 163.23 reflect his status as a modern-day great, his 2025 output—218 runs from 19 innings at an average of 13.62—suggests a significant crisis of confidence. As the team moves into the new year, the primary concern for the Indian management will be how to help their captain rediscover the fluency and audacity that once made him the most feared batter in the format.
However, one thing which is working in Suryakumar's favour is that Team India are on a roll in T20Is under his captaincy, especially with T20 World Cup 2026 fast approaching. He will have one more shot to prove his mettle in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand, which will be a dress rehearsal of the T20 World Cup 2026.