Suryakumar Yadav: Hope Captaincy is Not Taking Toll on Star Batter

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Call it the curse of captaincy or pressure, India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is flopping with consistency. The scores he has registered in the three T20 internationals in the ongoing series against England is a cause for concern -- 0, 12 and 14.

For those who have watched SKY soar and produce brilliant shots, his recent form, wretched by all standards, is worrying. SKY's form has become a topic of hot debate as much as the poor performance of Mohd Shami on his return on Tuesday night. For those who feel Shami has bounced back, it is wrong.

Shami's bowling on Tuesday night was below par, speed and the inability to trouble the batters. If he is going to be the main strike bowler for India in the Champions Trophy, there should be a rethink. More so, since Jasprit Bumrah is certain to miss the Champions Trophy.

When India are winning T20 internationals, Surykumar Yadav's own form, or the lack of it, goes unnoticed. He spoke of the batting not being up to the mark last night but did not say much on his own batting. Is it a temporary thing or is SKY being too aggressive, he will know the best.

At a time when people have started singing paeans about Gautam Gambhir being a great coach and India doing well in the white ball format, Suryakumar Yadav also needs to perform. People do expect him to score heavy-duty runs. After all, he has been chosen as Team India leader in the T20 format as someone with a vision, ahead of Hardik Pandya, last July.

This year is more about the Champions Trophy and the projected high-stakes Test series in England, but surely, when batters like Tilak Varma are scoring heavily, how can SKY not score in T20 internationals? The ICC T20 World Cup will be hosted by India next year. Anyone who follows Indian cricket knows captaincy and not scoring runs has become a trend.

Rohit Sharma's poor form in the BGT Series saw the Mumbaikar dropping himself for the fifth and final Test recently. For the record, he was not dropped by Gambhir. Rohit will lead India in the Champions Trophy next month and the expectation is he and Virat Kohli will do well.

But then, the main worry is Suryakumar Yadav. The Indian T20 team is WIP (work in progress) and after the retirement of three stars - Rohit, Virat, and Ravindra Jadeja - after the ICC T20 World Cup win in 2024, the BCCI has imposed faith in the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav.

Questions will be asked about how soon he can bounce back. Experts are already questioning if captaincy is bothering Surya and if he is not able to bat freely. If there is even some truth in it, then it's worrying. The BCCI wants its best men to lead as well as set an example. If the leader himself is shaky, how will it work?

It may seem 2026 is far away, but Surya needs to consult the people who matter and sort out his issues. Whether it's a technical problem where he is attempting too many strokes early or needs to play himself in, the think-tank knows.

Sitanshu Kotak, being brought on board as a batting consultant, is supposed to help India in many ways. For starters, he should help Suryakumar Yadav, whose fearless hitting and aggression are missing. This template is being sorely missed.