India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav has made it clear that he will not compromise his natural attacking approach despite enduring a prolonged dip in form ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the 35-year-old insisted that staying true to his batting identity remains central to his philosophy, even as scrutiny mounts.
India are set to face New Zealand in the opening match of a five-game warm-up T20I series in Nagpur on Wednesday, a crucial preparatory phase before the World Cup kicks off on February 7 across India and Sri Lanka. The series also marks a personal milestone for Suryakumar, who is expected to feature in his 100th T20 international.
Once regarded as the most destructive batter in the shortest format, Suryakumar’s recent numbers have raised concern. He has accumulated just 244 runs in his last 22 T20I innings since October 2024, without registering a single half-century. However, the Indian skipper remains confident that results will follow if he maintains his trademark style.
“I have been batting well in practice,” Suryakumar said. “Runs will come eventually, but I don’t want to change who I am as a batter. The style that brought me success over the past few years is what I trust.”
Formerly the ICC’s top-ranked T20I batter, Suryakumar boasts an exceptional career strike rate of 163.23. While that figure dips slightly during his tenure as captain, his leadership record has been outstanding. Since taking over the role full-time after Rohit Sharma stepped down following India’s 2024 World Cup triumph, he has guided the team to six consecutive bilateral series victories and a T20 Asia Cup title.
India enter the upcoming World Cup as defending champions and clear favourites, sitting at the top of the ICC T20 rankings. The team has not lost a T20 series since a narrow 3-2 defeat to the West Indies in August 2023, underlining their dominance in the format.
Suryakumar emphasized that personal form takes a back seat when leading the national side. “As captain, my responsibility is to think about the team first. There is no space for individual milestones. Everyone must contribute for us to succeed,” he said.
India’s World Cup preparations are not without challenges. Batter Tilak Varma and all-rounder Washington Sundar are both racing against time to regain full fitness after injury setbacks. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is set to return to the T20 side for the first time since 2023, while Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill has been surprisingly left out of the squad.
New Zealand arrive in India with confidence after scripting history earlier this month, winning their first-ever ODI series on Indian soil. The Black Caps had already stunned the hosts in 2024 with a remarkable 3-0 Test series sweep, making the warm-up matches a stern test for the defending champions.
As the countdown to the T20 World Cup intensifies, Suryakumar Yadav’s resolve to trust his instincts could prove decisive—for both his personal resurgence and India’s title defence.
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