3 min readMay 25, 2026 12:47 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav has endured a prolonged run of poor T20I form over the last two years, with his aggregates also plummeting in the IPL 2026 season. While he finished his season with a half-century against the Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on Sunday, Suryakumar only amassed 270 runs in 13 innings, averaging 20.76 this season.
Even as he powered India to their third T20 World Cup title as captain in March, Suryakumar the batter has copped intense scrutiny, with calls for his removal as skipper gaining pace through the IPL.
However, former chief national selector MSK Prasad cautioned against a hasty decision in axing Suryakumar. Prasad backed the 35-year-old to rediscover his touch, while also hailing him as the most versatile T20I batter India has produced.
“In modern T20 cricket, matches are not won only through technique – they are won through intent, innovation, fearlessness, and the ability to change games within a few overs. That is exactly why Suryakumar Yadav remains one of the most valuable players in India’s T20 setup. Even when debates arise around form or consistency, removing a player like Suryakumar from the Indian T20 side would be a massive mistake,” Prasad wrote in a Cricbuzz column.
“He is still India’s most unique T20 batter.
“There are very few batters in world cricket capable of playing 360-degree cricket as naturally as Suryakumar Yadav. His ability to access unconventional areas of the field makes him nearly impossible to bowl to once he settles,” remarked Prasad.
Prasad added that India can take the next cycle of the T20 World Cup, starting June, to groom future leaders under Suryakumar. “I feel the selectors and team management should now start grooming the next generation of T20 leaders under Suryakumar’s guidance. Players like Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan can be developed as future T20 captains for India.”
Prasad also reaffirmed Suryakumar’s unique strengths as a T20 bat. “Whether it is scoops over fine leg, inside-out lofts over cover, or flicks behind square off good-length balls, Suryakumar brings a skillset that very few Indian batters possess.”
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SKY dismisses wrist-injury rumours
However, with a dip in form and his characteristic shots failing, questions have been raised over a purported wrist injury Suryakumar affecting his form since last year. Prior to the match against Rajasthan on Sunday, Suryakumar cleared the air and quashed rumours of such concerns.
“First of all, I’d like to clear the air a little bit. The people talking about a wrist injury are either pure physios or people who don’t understand cricket. Because if I really had a wrist injury or such a problem, then the shots I’ve been playing in practice and in matches, especially my flick shots, which are completely wrist-based and depend on hand-eye coordination, I wouldn’t have been able to play those shots,” Suryakumar told the broadcasters.
“But I don’t want to say much about that because it’s not in my control. These are all uncontrollable factors, and I don’t pay too much attention to them.
