Suryakumar Yadav has scored just 99 runs in 11 matches in 2025 at an average of 12.37 and strike rate of 110.00. (AP Photo)Suryakumar Yadav’s India may have practically sailed to the final of the 2025 Asia Cup but the captain himself hasn’t exactly had a great time of it, especially considering his usual lofty standards. The 35-year-old has scored just 71 runs in six matches at a strike rate of 107.57.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan pointed out that the fact that Suryakumar had fallen to Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga while attempting a sweep in their last Super Fours match was concerning. “If his bat talks, his captaincy will also benefit,” Pathan said on Sony Sports. “Suryakumar Yadav getting out while playing a sweep is definitely an area of concern, and this entire year has been like that. One or two innings have come for sure in international cricket. The IPL was very good, but he hasn’t scored runs in international cricket,”
“He needs to come out of this. We discussed in the commentary in the last match as well, as much as possible, try to play straight when you are not in form, especially against fast bowlers, but he got while playing a sweep against a spinner today. This team will become stronger if he gets his form,” Pathan observed.
Suryakumar has been experiencing a downturn in batting fortunes since the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup. This year, he has scored just 99 runs in 11 matches at an average of 12.37 and strike rate of 110.00. He had seemingly got out of the funk in the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 717 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 167.91 and average of 65.18. However, his numbers either side of the tournament have been a pale shadow of what he has managed in the last five years or so.
Suryakumar and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf were both found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct at the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE.
After the hearings that concluded Friday, match referee Richie Richardson has fined both players 30 per cent of their match fee, while another Pakistan player Sahibzada Farhan has been let off with a warning for his gun celebration after reaching 50.
After Suryakumar’s remarks about the terror attack in Pahalgam and dedication of India’s win over Pakistan to the Indian armed forces, the Pakistan Cricket Board filed a complaint with the ICC, alleging that the Indian captain made political comments.
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