NEW DELHI: India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Shubman Gill endured a tough outing in Cuttack as both fell cheaply in the powerplay, continuing their struggles in the T20I format.

Gill started with a boundary past third man but was dismissed on the next ball by Lungi Ngidi when a loft over mid off ended in a simple catch for Marco Jansen.

Shortly after, Yadav followed in similar fashion, attempting to clear mid on but edging it to Aiden Markram for 12 off 11.

The early dismissals reignited debate over India’s opening combination, with fans once again suggesting Yashasvi Jaiswal or Sanju Samson for the top order. Both leaders have struggled for consistency over an extended period.

Suryakumar has scored just 184 runs in 17 T20Is this year at an average of 15.33 and a strike rate of 127.77. Gill has also been below his best, managing 259 runs in 12 matches at an average of 28.77 with six innings under 20, highlighting his difficulty in converting starts.

Despite flashes of past brilliance and personal milestones within reach, the leadership duo’s current run of low scores adds pressure on India to rethink their T20I approach and find stability at the top of the order.

Here's how fans reacted: