Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav’s batting woes continue under captaincy pressure

Dubai: India skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s lean patch with the bat continued on Friday as he fell cheaply against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours clash of the Asia Cup in Dubai, further fuelling concerns over his form since taking charge as India’s T20 captain.

In July last year, Suryakumar inherited the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format after India’s T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados. But since stepping into the leadership role, the explosive batter has struggled to replicate his free-flowing best.

His last significant knock came in October 2024, when he struck a hundred against Bangladesh. A quickfire 75 in Hyderabad around the same period had raised hopes of consistency. Since then, however, big scores have largely deserted him.

The statistics underline the slump. As captain, the 35-year-old has scored only 329 runs in 19 innings across 21 matches at an average of 19.35, with just two fifties. He has crossed 20 only six times in this period, despite maintaining a strike rate above 145.

The year 2025 has been particularly poor. In 10 innings, Suryakumar has managed just 99 runs at an average of 12.37, with a modest strike rate of 110 and a best of 47 not out. His overall T20I batting average has dropped from 43.33 before captaincy to 37.59 now.

At the ongoing Asia Cup, he has collected 71 runs in five innings, averaging 23.66 with a strike rate just over 100.

On Friday, the captain looked far from his old self. After scratching around for 12 off 13 balls, he was trapped lbw by Wanindu Hasaranga while attempting a sweep.

With India marching into the final, pressure is mounting on Suryakumar to rediscover his batting form and lead from the front in the high-voltage showdown against Pakistan.