Suryakumar Yadav – the name itself is enough to conjure images of 360-degree stroke-play. Over the years, the India T20I skipper has been showered with praise for his giddying displays of batsmanship.
Amid all those wristy flicks and innovations behind the wicket, there is one shot that seems to serve as an indicator of his form: the lofted drive down the ground or over extra-cover. In the recent past, as Suryakumar went through a rough patch, he did not seem to be connecting this particular shot with conviction.
Who can forget him attempting to smash Corbin Bosch of South Africa in the Ahmedabad T20I, only to hit it straight to the mid-off fielder? For starters, some credit has to go to the bowler for hitting the bat hard on impact, resulting in the bat turning in Suryakumar’s hands. But at his peak, Suryakumar might have simply collected a boundary.
On occasions, he has perhaps been too eager to essay the pick-up shot. The leading edge off an attempted pick-up shot/whip against Haris Rauf in the Asia Cup is an example that illustrates the point. Even the numbers tell a story: the control percentage on his shots while looking to play in the air has dropped by more than 30 per cent since October 2024.
For a few minutes, take a jog down memory lane and you will observe a completely different Suryakumar. Around four years ago, when India locked horns with England in the third T20I, Suryakumar seemed to be giving his opponents a lesson in geometry. In an imaginary sense, Chris Jordan was one of those students awestruck by his teacher’s prowess. The England bowler pounded it into a hard length, only for Suryakumar to arch back and thump it over extra-cover. It was Suryakumar creating his own zones, with the loft emerging as his signature shot.
Returning to the present, is it all doom and gloom for Suryakumar ahead of the T20 World Cup? Not exactly. In the last two games against New Zealand, he has notched up scores of 82 not out and 57 not out. More importantly, in the Raipur game, 17 of his runs came straight down the ground. And in that 57 in Guwahati, he did crunch a lofted drive after skipping down the track to Mitchell Santner.
Interestingly, ever since the start of the 2025 Asia Cup, the India captain has consistently maintained that he is not ‘out of form’. Even after India emerged victorious in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, Suryakumar observed: “I feel I am not out of form, I feel I am out of runs. I believe more in what I am doing in the nets and my preparation. So in matches, things are on autopilot.” Maybe he was right. Perhaps it was simply a matter of one or two good innings.
During Suryakumar’s heyday, it felt as if he was the Rajinikanth of T20 cricket – dismantling opposition attacks with his 360-degree spread of run-scoring.
A few shots down the ground in the ongoing T20I series offer an inkling that his batting is back on the right track. Who knows? He may once again wow the crowds and leave his opponents searching for answers at the T20 World Cup.
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