NEW DELHI: Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has hailed T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav's return to form during the ongoing New Zealand series, describing him as a "T20 legend" after a prolonged lean patch. Suryakumar rediscovered his touch following a 23-innings slump in which he failed to register a single fifty and averaged just 13.62.
The right-hander has since piled up 171 runs in three innings, including consecutive half-centuries, reclaiming his old rhythm and sitting atop the run charts. He is also closing in on a major milestone, needing just 41 more runs to become the third Indian batter to reach 3,000 runs in T20 internationals.
Speaking on Game Plan, Parthiv explained that batters often become desperate for runs during rough phases, forcing their preferred shots even when the approach doesn't work. He said Suryakumar simply needed to spend more time at the crease, a change that transformed him into a "completely different player."
"If you want to get back in form, you have to give yourself time. You are desperate for runs, and in that desperation, you go for your favourite shot. For Suryakumar Yadav, that is playing across the line. But when you are out of form, it doesn't come off. Once you get that form back, you can play those shots again which he has done for a while in T20 cricket," Parthiv said.
"He needed to give himself time, and he did. He looked like a completely different player in the last two games of the series against New Zealand because he took time to settle down at the crease and once he understood that, he pulled the trigger and started playing aggressively," he added.
Parthiv went on to describe Suryakumar a T20 legend, highlighting his knack for taking calculated risks and consistently converting starts into big scores.
"He knows how to score runs and take calculated risks to make big scores. He spent time at the crease in the first game, facing 22 balls. In the second game, he started with 10 runs off his first 10 deliveries, then went on to make 82. That is what confidence can do. We know Suryakumar Yadav is full of self-belief. Just one innings changed him, and he looked like a completely different player," he concluded.
