India's captain Suryakumar Yadav reacts during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Sri Lanka at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. (AP Photo)The lean patch of Suryakumar Yadav is just a conversation, a distraction buried in the good vibes, the winning streaks, collectivism of his troop, series and tournament wins he has piled. But like changing seasons, the tides could shift swiftly, conversation could intensify into a concern and debate, if things fall apart, the team begins to lose and his form does not resurge. The backdrop infuses uncomfortable intrigues — there is a captain-in-waiting, a World Cup defence four months away and the immediate task of encountering Australia, where every stumble and stutter could assume larger meanings, where the flaws and fissures tend to get magnified.
In the pre-series press conference, Suryakumar flexed the familiarly smiling face of charm and wit, a cheerful body language that sometimes blunts the pointedness of the question. A question about his form sneaked in, and with a smile, like he neutered the treacherous questions during the Asia Cup, he made light of his indifferent run of 126 runs at 10.50 in the last 14. “Runs will come eventually but working hard towards the team goal is important,” he said. Happy to help has been a common refrain throughout his ascent to top of world batting charts. Suryakumar is very much about the collective, with his words and demeanour. “I am in a good space,” he added. In the Asia Cup, he said he was not so much as out of runs as out of touch. “Everything is moving on autopilot,” he would say.
In both feast and famine, Suryakumar has, outwardly, looked in “good space”, strolling with a smile, chatting and bantering with his teammates. The rubble of recent form lies not in the millstone of leadership responsibilities, tempting as the thread is. He has not emitted the tell-tale signs of a batsman-in-slump either. He has not looked laboured or tentative in the middle; he approaches his innings in the same way as he always has, with energy and enthusiasm; critics can’t pinpoint to a specific pattern to his dismissals (the format itself revolts itself to the idea of getting out in identical ways), even though it brings the more vexing argument that whether his overall game has plummeted. No specific stroke, or length or variety of bowling has overtly troubled him. He could present the counterpoint that he had amassed 717 runs in 16 innings with a striking rate of 167.90 in the last IPL, arguably a more competent environment than the bilateral series churn.
Or that the drought of runs is but a mere coincidence in a format where function matters more than figures. “Honestly, Surya’s batting form doesn’t concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you embrace this philosophy, failures are inevitable,” head coach Gautam Gambhir told JioHotstar. “It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it’s acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach,” he added. But the counterargument could be that in his last few outings in Asia Cup, he employed restraint at the start before getting out. Or that his lack of runs has not affected his team; India have lost only one of their last 14 games, he has led India to 25 wins in 29 games. It could be that cursed phase when even the most minor mistake could lead to downfall.
Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav (C) of India during a training session ahead of the 1st T20I match against Australia at Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia, on October 27, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)
Nonetheless, India can’t afford an under-firing Suryakumar for too long. He is inarguably their most proficient T20 batsman of all time, the man who broke Indian T20 batting’s outdated perceptions, and their most potent match-winner with the bat. The genius of ingenuity was not missed because Abhishek Sharma has been providing turbocharged starts, the middle and lower middle orders have been constantly chipping in with valuable knocks, especially Tilak Varma and Axar Patel. Not always would they keep mounting the runs. Besides, an in-elements Suryakumar is an unrepeatable act. For all the riches, Indian batting cannot brag about discovering one with his imagination, or inventiveness, one with a swathing 360 degree arc and strokes that destroy captains and bowlers. An underwhelming Suryakumar is half the headache soothed for opposition captains. Moreover, India’s batting firm is still young, unused to the crushing pressures of a World Cup. A captain riding a dry spell is not ideal.
Besides, there is bustling competition for spots, so much so that tolerance levels of selectors are decreasing. Not for too long could they ignore youngsters such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Priyansh Arya, or even older but amongst the runs ones like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Age is not a friend of revivals either. He is 35, a stage wherein every failure could be viewed through the lens of that inescapable number. It might not have a direct bearing in his ways of dismissals, there is little evidence of waning reflexes and hand-eye coordination, but still the question of age will be weaved into debates regarding his touch. Over time, assumptions become the assumed truth.
In this vein, the five games against Australia gathers significance for Suryakumar the captain as much as Suryakumar the batsman. It would be the stiffest assignment of his career, as it’s just his most meaningful assignment outside Asia. The other one was against a weakened South Africa, which India won 2-1. Australia is a typically grisly firm, with a blend of familiar faces and newcomers. Typical Australia conditions are predicted in at least three of the venues (Melbourne, Gold Coast and Brisbane). There could be bounce and pace, potentially seam movement. Minor flaws in Asia could blow up into terminal defects. In his lone trip to the country, in the 2022 World Cup, he enjoyed the bounce and pace, hammering 239 runs at an average of 59.75 and a strike rate of 189.86. But Australia were not one among them, and a recalibrated Australia at that, having lost only two of their last 20 games.
So far, good vibes have obscured bad numbers. But it would not be long before conservation becomes a concern, and then a discussion. It’s just a bad series away.
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