Former India opener Aakash Chopra said that, apart from making strategies, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav needs to score runs.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
“You are the team’s captain, but a captain’s job is not just to do the toss and manage the bowlers. It’s not just about making strategy. If you bat in the top four, your primary role is to score runs. It has been many matches. If you have an average of 14 in 17 innings and the strike rate is also not very good, you don’t have a single fifty and have crossed 25 just twice, it has been a problem on either side of the IPL.”
Surya’s form is an area of concern for India. In 2025, he has played 19 T20I matches and has not scored a single fifty, crossing the 30-run mark only twice. The 35-year-old, however, had a brilliant run in the IPL for Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring 717 runs from 16 matches at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.92. His IPL 2025 tally included five fifties, but he has not been able to replicate that form for the Men in Blue.
Chopra clarified that he has no doubts about Surya’s captaincy, but wants the star batter to score runs.
“I am not saying there is any doubt over Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, or that he won’t be India’s captain at the World Cup. I am not suggesting that at all, so don’t ever misquote me. But the truth is that he needs to score runs. If you are playing at No. 3 or No. 4 and are not scoring runs consistently over a long period of time, you won’t be that confident when the World Cup begins. So, Suryakumar Yadav, the captain, and Shubman Gill, the vice-captain, scoring runs is absolutely imperative,” he added.
Surya will be in action when India and South Africa lock horns in the third T20I in Dharamshala on December 14.
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