Suryakumar Yadav Aims to Regain Form Before 2026 T20 World Cup

The concerns related to Suryakumar Yadav’s form in T20s is growing day by day. The Indian captain himself understands this fact, and he is trying his level best to regain the old striking form. Keeping in view the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026, India needs Suryakumar Yadav to start scoring runs quickly. Interestingly, he does not have many matches to find his rhythm, as India is scheduled to play just five T20Is against New Zealand before the World Cup.

Speaking with the reporters at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai, Suryakumar acknowledged that he is going through a rough patch currently. It is one of those points in his career where he needs to double the hard work to make a strong comeback. He is optimistic to do that in style, as the upcoming series against New Zealand will give him an opportunity to fine-tune his batting.

"I'm sure everyone has seen this in their respective careers. I will also go over it sometime. I know what to do, I know where things are going wrong. I've got some time to work on it. We have [the] New Zealand series coming up, and then the important T20 World Cup as well. You'll definitely see Surya is back." said Indian T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav.

The Indian captain experienced a dip in form soon after taking over the T20I leadership role. In the recently concluded series against South Africa, he struggled with the bat, averaging just 8.50. These are concerning numbers, as a player batting at the number three or four position needs to score runs consistently. In Suryakumar Yadav’s case, his poor form has largely been masked by the performances of other players who have been scoring runs at the top and lower down the order.

When asked whether he was watching his old videos to see what he did better in the past, Surya said that he has analyzed many clips and hasn’t found much difference in what he is doing currently. He stressed that the ongoing rough patch will end soon, as he is working hard in the nets to correct his shots.

"I've been watching it for the past three months. Obviously, you go back to seeing your old videos where you batted really well, and you delivered for India. And you try to carry the same thing. But yeah, I've been trying; I've been batting beautifully in the nets. The same thing… this is a small hurdle. It's invisible,  I can't see it, but I'll overcome it, I'm sure." said Indian T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav.

Gaining Confidence from the Selection Panel

Yesterday, India announced its squad for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. They dropped vice-captain Shubman Gill from the squad, as he has struggled with the bat for quite some time. In all fairness, Gill is not ideally suited to the T20 format, as he does not have strong numbers to back his case. His records in other formats are also questionable, as majority of them have come by only playing in India.

Fortunately, Suryakumar Yadav avoided getting the same fate as Shubman Gill. He was retained as captain by the team management, reflecting their trust and faith in his leadership for next year’s mega event.

"With his (Suryakumar's) form, look, over the last few years he has been the No. 1 T20 batter in the world. So we know what he brings to the table. He knows what he needs to do. And hopefully, come the World Cup, he is again the No. 1 batter in the world." said India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar.

Considering the short time left before the 2026 T20 World Cup, it will be a tough task for Suryakumar Yadav to regain his form in T20Is. The upcoming matches against New Zealand will give him an opportunity to showcase some improvement, as selectors will be closely watching his performances in the home games.