Suryakumar’s form becoming a big issue ahead of Final as batting slump becomes starker amid off-field controversies.
SKY fall: Suryakumar’s slump becomes starker amid off-field controversies.
On Friday, Suryakumar Yadav sealed India’s Super Over triumph by punching the covers as his final action on the pitch against Sri Lanka. However, he had appeared to be a man who was just starting to experience the effects of a mini-slump long before the final drama played out.
It was further evidence that one of the most feared batsmen in T20 cricket was little more than a mortal, with scores of 12, 5, and 0 in his last three appearances. He had decided to review the lbw appeal against him when India was batting first, perhaps knowing he was plumb.
These are among a larger group of more forceful scores. This year, India’s T20I captain has struck at 110 and amassed just 99 runs with three ducks in ten innings. The figures only slightly improve if you go back a bit farther, from right after India’s victory in the T20 World Cup in June 2024 until the present: 329 runs in 19 innings with two half-centuries.
Because of Suryakumar’s high expectations, this run of form is insincere. Even if his tendency to premeditate—such as the pick-up flick he plays with indifference most of the time—has led to his demise a number of times in this Asia Cup alone, it isn’t due of any obvious weaknesses or flaws.
During this lean period, Suryakumar has been under constant scrutiny for a variety of reasons, including his handshake-gate, press conference antics, statements, gestures, and facial expressions. In addition, there have been batting-order changes and disciplinary hearings. He should be able to relax knowing that India has advanced to the final undefeated in spite of this.
Suryakumar’s sole significant dominance of the tournament came against Pakistan in the group round, where he hit an undefeated 47, finished a chase with a six, and left with his trademark gum-chewing swagger. However, because of the conversation it generated that went beyond the figures, the knock barely registered in the grand picture of things.
He has never gone 13 T20I innings without hitting a fifty. He played in the IPL like a man possessed, striking balls into arcs you didn’t believe were conceivable, despite having to suffer dreary tours in South Africa and at home against England. Suryakumar finished second on the list with 717 runs in the competition, scoring 25 runs or more in each of the 16 innings. To put it in perspective, no non-opener has ever accomplished that in any of the 18 IPL seasons.
Suryakumar made news for his courageous declaration that India and Pakistan are no longer rivals following their most recent match in the Super Fours against Pakistan. Even if he thinks all of the banter and jokes are amusing, if he can perform at his best when it counts most, nothing will be heard more loudly than the bat.