After becoming India's full-time T20I captain in July 2024, Suryakumar Yadav has not been able to maintain his form regularly. He has been able to score two fifties only, and his average in 20 matches has been less than 18 - 17.95 to be precise. The Indian captain is going through this dry spell at the most inconvenient time with the 2026 T20 World Cup just around the corner. The player who used to be hailed for his smooth stroke play and supreme self-assurance now appears to be struggling to find his runs and rhythm as well, as Gautam Gambhir backs his form.
From IPL dominance to International decline: Suryakumar Yadav’s journey
It is quite puzzling that Suryakumar's form dropped after each of his fantastic IPL 2025 seasons, where he scored 717 runs at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91 thus, consolidating his position as one of the most powerful T20 hitters globally. But, in the real world, apart from the IPL bubble, he hasn't really worked out.
He was very limited in the 2025 Asia Cup, where Surya only made 72 runs in six innings, thus his average was 18 and the strike rate was a modest 101.40.
From 2021 through 2023, Surya was simply on another level, his average was over 45 and his striker rate was more than 170. That period can be considered as the greatest three-year stretch of any T20I batter. Though no one was expecting him to be at that superlative level forever, the sudden drop in form has left fans and analysts to be worried.
Gautam Gambhir Stands Firm: “Failures Are Inevitable”
Despite the numbers, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir isn’t overly worried. He believes Surya’s struggles are a natural byproduct of India’s aggressive new approach in T20 cricket.
“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,” Gambhir told JioStar before the India vs Australia T20I series.
“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.
Gambhir also pointed to Abhishek Sharma’s current purple patch as an example of how quickly fortunes can change in T20 cricket.
“Abhishek is in great form right now, and when Surya finds his rhythm, he’ll do the same, win matches for India. Our focus isn’t on individual runs but on the brand of cricket we want to play. With our aggressive style, batters may fail more often, but impact ultimately matters more than mere numbers.”
