India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav had a forgettable 2025, failing to score a fifty and showing a major dip, raising doubts over his form and captaincy ahead of the T20 World Cup, with fans and cricket enthusiasts questioning his place in the team.
India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has had a forgettable year as the flamboyant batter struggled with his consistency and rhythm, failing to register a single T20I fifty throughout 2025, raising concerns over his leadership and form heading into a crucial phase for the Men in Blue, especially the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will take place in February.
Suryakumar’s struggle with his form was quite rare, given that the Mumbai batter has long been regarded as one of the most explosive T20 batters in the world, given the variety of his shots in his arsenal and ability to turn the game on its head with his attacking approach, irrespective of the opposition, conditions, or match situation. His prolonged lean patch throughout the year has become a major talking point for fans and cricket experts.
Ever since taking over India’s T20I captaincy in July last year, things have been going downhill for Suryakumar Yadav, with mounting pressure to balance leadership responsibilities and personal form, as repeated poor returns have intensified scrutiny over his place and captaincy ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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A Year Off The Book for Suryakumar Yadav
Three years ago, in 2022, Suryakumar Yadav was at the peak of his T20I career, achieving the feat of 1000 runs in a single calendar year and a World No.1 ranking, while dazzling the fans with his aggressive strokeplay, consistency, and ability to dominate the bowlers across all conditions. In the following year, the 35-year-old was once again India’s highest run-getter with 733 runs and retained the No.1 ranking in T20Is.
Moreover, Suryakumar won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year twice on the trot in 2022 and 2023. Such was the dominance of the Mumbai-born batter in the T20Is. However, the ‘vintage’ Suryakumar Yadav of 2022-23 seemed a distant memory since 2024. Since 2024, the veteran batter has aggregated 647 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 20.21 in 39 matches.
This year, specifically, Suryakumar Yadav has endured a much poorer run of form compared to the last three years. In 22 matches, the 35-year-old could score only 218 runs at an average of 13.62 and a strike rate of 123.16. The sharp slump in form and performance has sparked widespread debate among fans and experts.
In the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav had his worst outing, scoring just 34 runs at an average of 8.50 and a strike rate of 103 in four matches. This dismal performance further intensified calls for a reassessment of his captaincy and batting position ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar’s Place in the Team and Captaincy Questioned
Throughout the year, Suryakumar Yadav was no stranger to criticism from the fans and cricket enthusiasts, as the lean run of form has put him in a position where both his place in the playing XI and his T20I captaincy have come under serious scrutiny. Following his other cheap dismissal in the T20I series decider against South Africa, Suryakumar was criticized for his consistently poor returns.
Taking to their X handle (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts were quite critical of his performance in T20Is throughout the year, while others questioned whether Suryakumar Yadav would be stripped of his captaincy ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, as the poor returns have raised doubts about his ability to lead the side effectively while consistently delivering with the bat.
In his T20I career, Suryakumar Yadav has amassed 2788 runs, including 4 centuries and 21 fifties, at an average of 35.29 and a strike rate of 163.23 in 99 matches.
Will Suryakumar Yadav Turn His Game Around Ahead of the World Cup?
As the T20I series against South Africa, with Team India clinching 3-1 to end the year on a positive note, the main question remains whether India skipper Suryakumar Yadav will rediscover his lost form ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after the fifth T20I win over the Proteas in Ahmedabad, Suryakumar was confident of making his comeback to form, which was missing throughout the series.
“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,” the India T20I skipper.
Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be retained as the T20I captain when the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar announces the 15-member India squad for the T20 World Cup on Saturday, December 20, as the selectors and team management might not want to make any changes in the leadership. However, the BCCI will expect the veteran batter to regain his lost form before the marquee event.
Before the tournament, the Men in Blue will have their final preparation in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January, and Suryakumar Yadav has his chances of rediscovering his rhythm and confidence with the bat, proving that he can lead from the front and silence critics ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. If he performs well throughout the series, the India skipper could regain form and lead India confidently into the marquee event.
