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NEW DELHI: After a tough spell with the bat in T20 Internationals last year, coupled with the pressure of captaincy during a lean patch, Suryakumar Yadav said taking his time at the crease and stepping away from social media helped him regain his rhythm.

With just 218 runs in 21 matches in 2025, Suryakumar’s form had been a major talking point as India prepared for their title defence in next month’s T20 World Cup.

However, the early games against New Zealand have eased those worries. He began with a measured 32 off 22 balls in the first match and followed it up with a dominant 82 off 37 balls in the second.

Advice from home and taking it slow

"There's a coach sitting at home as well, to whom I am married. She keeps telling me, ‘I think you should take some time (in the middle)’,” Suryakumar told Ishan Kishan in a video shared by the BCCI.

"… because she has seen me the closest, she reads my mind. I decided to take some time; took it in the last game and today as well and I have got a better feeling.

"I was anyway telling everyone that I was batting well. I was trying in the nets. But no matter how much you do in the nets, until you score runs in the match, you don't get confidence,” he added.

Social media break and mental reset

Suryakumar also credited stepping away from social media and taking a mental break.

"I got a good break of 2-3 weeks (after series against South Africa). I went home and cut off all social media. I didn't spend much time there. I practiced well in the last three weeks and I came in with a good (mental) space,” he said.

Kishan added, “… and it’s very important to stay happy”. Suryakumar agreed: "Cricket is a fantastic leveller, and they said that it is a game of humble people. I think it is very important to have humility."

Team effort and praise for Ishan Kishan

The captain also emphasized that India’s success doesn’t rely on a single batter.

“… and we also had to end this conversation in front of the world that India would win only when Abhishek would score,” he said with a familiar quip.

“If Ishan gets runs, we can win the match too. Although, Abhishek Sharma is my favourite batter and I want him to make runs in every game. It's a team game. You win the match with the help of eleven people.

“But we will keep trying. We will keep contributing. And we will keep giving you reasons for entertainment and we will play the format the way it is meant to be played,” he added.

Suryakumar also praised Kishan’s 32-ball 76, which included 11 fours and four sixes, and featured the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian against New Zealand.

“I have never seen anyone bat like this in my life in T20 cricket… what exactly happened that at 6/2, you went in and straightaway attacked,” Suryakumar said.

Kishan explained: "I was seeing the ball really well and and at no moment did I feel they would get me out even on a good ball. Even on a good ball, I felt like I would either hit it or take a single."

(With PTI Inputs)