IND vs ENG: Is captaincy pressure affecting Suryakumar Yadav's form?
Amid the discussion on India’s win in the second T20I against England in Chennai, Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been a topic of concern as the captain continued to struggle with the willow, scoring just 12 runs off seven balls before he was bowled out by Brydon Carse.
FollowTeam India T20I Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been one of the points of discussion following the Men in Blue’s win in the second T20I against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, January 25. India extended their five-match T20I series 2-0 after winning the second match in Chennai.
With a 166-run target set by England, India chased it down in the final over with balls to spare. Tilak Varma was the star performer for the hosts as he played an unbeaten innings of 72 off 55 balls at a strike rate of 130.91. Washington Sundar chipped in with a valuable innings of 26 off 19 balls and formed a crucial 38-partnership with Tilak to lift India from 78/5 to 116/5. From there on, Tilak Varma carried on India’s innings and hit a winning four to take the hosts’ past the finishing line.
Amid the discussion on India’s win in the second T20I against England in Chennai, Suryakumar Yadav’s form has been a topic of concern as the captain continued to struggle with the willow, scoring just 12 runs off seven balls before he was bowled out by Brydon Carse. In the T20I series opener at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata, Suryakumar was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Jofra Archer. The 34-year-old has been one of the consistent performers in the shortest format for India, but his recent struggles with his form have raised questions about his ability to lead from the front.
Suryakumar Yadav was appointed captain of the India T20I side ahead of the series against Sri Lanka in July last year. The right-handed batter got the nod over Hardik Pandya to lead the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game after Rohit Sharma retired from the T20Is after leading India to T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Ever since Suryakumar took over as Team India T20I captain, he scored just 2 fifties in the last 11 innings. This raises questions whether the captaincy pressure has impacted his batting form as he has struggled to maintain his usual consistency and aggression at the crease.
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Suryakumar Yadav was at his best form, amassing 199 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 28.42 and a strike rate of 147 in 8 matches. Over the last one year, the flamboyant middle-order batter has aggregated 441 runs, including four fifties, at an average of 24.50 in 20 matches. This drop in his performance raises several concerns about whether the added responsibility of captaincy affected his natural game. While Suryakumar Yadav’s ability as a batter is unquestionable, considering how he made a rapid stride in the shortest format of the game, but his struggle to convert his starts and maintain consistency over the past year has led to debates about his suitability to lead the side.
Suryakumar Yadav is someone who could step up for the team in crunch situations and pull off remarkable performances under pressure, as he has shown in the past. Nonetheless, with the added responsibility of captaincy seemed to have overshadowed his free-flowing and aggressive approach with the bat at the crease. The inconsistent performances over the past year has raised questions whether the captaincy has taken away Suryakumar Yadav’s instinctive gameplay and natural flair, which has been his hallmark in T20 cricket.
In T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has amassed 2582 runs, including 4 centuries and 21 fifties, at an average of 39.72 and a strike rate of 167.55 in 80 matches. In the third T20I against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, Suryakumar will look to get back to his form by balancing his dual responsibility of leading the team and performance with the bat.
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