‘This patch has stretched a bit too long’ - Suryakumar confident of comeback before T20 World Cup

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has acknowledged that his form in T20Is has dipped and admitted that he is currently going through a lean patch in the shortest format. Despite the prolonged struggle, the right-handed batter remains confident of rediscovering his touch before the T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7.

Over the past year, Suryakumar has endured a difficult run in T20 internationals, managing an average of just 12.84 with a strike rate of 117.87 across 22 innings while batting at No. 3 and 4. Notably, he has failed to register a single half-century during this period.

His struggles were evident in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa at home, where he returned modest scores of 12, 5, 12, and 5. With the T20 World Cup approaching, Suryakumar now has only five matches remaining to regain form.

"Ye waala patch thoda lamba ho gaya (this patch has stretched a bit too long). 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 Suryakumar at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai.

Suryakumar’s prolonged lean patch in T20Is began soon after he took over as India’s T20I captain following the team’s T20 World Cup triumph under Rohit Sharma in the West Indies and the USA in June 2024. Since assuming leadership duties, the dynamic batter has struggled to replicate his usual consistency with the bat.

During India’s tour of South Africa later that year, Suryakumar crossed the five-run mark only once in three innings. The struggles continued when India hosted England earlier this year, where he endured a particularly tough series, registering two ducks and managing a highest score of just 14 across five innings.

Seven months later, there was a brief sign of revival when Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 47 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. However, the momentum did not last, as his form dipped again in the remainder of the tournament. Despite the numbers, Suryakumar maintained a positive outlook and famously stated that he was not out of form, but out of runs. When asked whether he revisits old videos of his batting to rediscover his rhythm, the Indian skipper suggested that he is constantly working on his game and remains confident of regaining form soon.

"I've been watching it for the past three months (laughs). 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 Suryakumar.