Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting voiced his surprise at Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav’s recent dip in form and urged him to stick to his natural aggressive style to peak in time for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The T20I skipper endured a forgettable 2025, amassing just 218 runs in 19 innings at an average of 13.63 and a strike rate of 123.16.
Suryakumar struggled again in India’s recently concluded home T20I series against South Africa, scoring only 34 runs in five matches at an average of 8.50, ahead of the World Cup squad announcement. His struggles trace back to the 2024 T20 World Cup, after which he took over as captain.
While he has openly acknowledged his poor form, he remains confident the runs will come. With only five matches left before India’s World Cup campaign begins, time is running short for the explosive batter. Ricky Ponting advised Suryakumar to back himself and play his natural game, much like Travis Head has successfully done in recent years.
“That’s as big a surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He’s been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn’t been able to find it of late. He’s an interesting one because when I’ve seen him play his best, he’s taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go,” Ricky Ponting said on ICC Review.
“He plays all of his shots and backs himself and a bit like Travis Head where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out. That’s what I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out. Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again,” Ponting added.
India Appoint Suryakumar Yadav As Captain For 2026 T20 World Cup
Besides struggling with poor form, the experienced batter will also carry the weight and pressure of defending a World Cup title on home soil. Thanks to his successful tenure as captain since succeeding Rohit Sharma, he retained his spot in the T20I squad recently announced by the selectors.
Despite India making a last-minute change by dropping Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma in favor of Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav remains the captain and will lead the team in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Team India will begin their campaign against the United States on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.
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