NEW DELHI: Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav admitted that his batting form has dipped, saying "batter Surya" has gone missing and needs to return stronger with the T20 World Cup approaching.

The Indian captain has struggled for consistency over the past 14 months and managed just 34 runs in four innings during the recent series against South Africa.

"Good challenging series, we did what we could. Only thing is we couldn't find Surya the batter, I think he's missing somewhere. But he'll come back strong. As a leader, very pleased with how the series went," Surya said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Interestingly, this comes after Surya had been defiant about his form, insisting that he was not out of form but merely out of runs.

While he is unlikely to continue as captain after the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old appeared slightly concerned despite guiding India to yet another bilateral T20 series victory - a 3–1 win over South Africa.

"The brand of cricket we wanted to play was the same, result is in front of us."

During the Asia Cup, he used three of Jasprit Bumrah's overs in the Powerplay, while in this series he held Bumrah back, saving those three overs for the final 10.

"We wanted to bowl Bumrah one over in PP, one in middle post-drinks and then in the end. We were challenged, but this game is about how you come back."

Player of the Match Hardik Pandya, who smashed a 16-ball half-century couldn't be happier having won a decisive game for his country.

"I do not play cricket to win Player of The Match. I play cricket to win games. It is a good feeling to contribute to the win. It is good to know that. I told my teammates and partner that I am going to step out the first ball and whack it for a six. Today was the day and had to make the most of the opportunity. It feels good when it comes through. It is quite a satisfying day."