India Twenty20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill continued their run drought, but the team management has backed the duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill to regain their form before the home World Cup early next year.Returning from a neck injury, opener Gill managed four and zero in the first two T20 matches of the ongoing home series against South Africa. The right-hander has now gone 17 innings in this format since his last half-century.
T20 specialist Suryakumar Yadav has endured worse. Across his last 20 innings in this format, Suryakumar Yadav has compiled 227 runs at 13.35 with no fifties.
India’s defeat at Mullanpur raises question over Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
India’s 51-run drubbing by South Africa – their second-biggest loss by runs in the history of this format – in Mullanpur on Thursday has triggered a nagging worry; India’s captain and vice-captain simply cannot find runs.
After crisscrossing the country as India have been doing during South Africa’s month-long all-format tour – quite the rarity these days given the quagmire of modern cricket scheduling – the two teams will trade boisterous Punjab for serene Himachal Pradesh as they arrive in Dharamshala. The third T20I of the five-match series will be played at the picturesque HPCA Stadium on Sunday with honours even, but a sword hanging.
The hosts will be hoping to imbibe some of the mindful calm of the hillside as Indian cricket’s palace of intrigue has raged in the background, and at times in the foreground, of this tour. The 0-2 humiliation in the Test series was damning in its indictment of India’s red-ball capabilities. And the ODI series win was an announcement, of both form and intent, from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, whose futures had been widely speculated.
The T20s were supposed to provide a welcome reprieve, being India’s best format in recent times and with preparations for their defence of the World Cup at home set to click into full gear. But the Suryakumar Yadav-Shubman double bogey is beginning to cause a blunt headache.
Mullanpur was a good opportunity for the leaders to stand up, with India chasing a tricky 200+ score on a surface where dew may have made batting second easier. But Gill was sent back for a golden duck; Suryakumar Yadav only lasted four balls. Both nicked excellent deliveries: Gill with an evasive defensive prod to second slip, Suryakumar with a wild swing of the bat to the keeper.
The poor returns only worsened their form. In the last 12 months, from 19 matches, on either side of a very productive IPL, skipper Suryakumar has scored just 201 runs at an average of 14.35 and a strike rate of 126.41. His deputy only managed slightly better. Gill has scored 263 runs in 14 matches, averaging 23.9 and striking at 142.93. Put together, they have not notched a 50+ score in over a year.
Of the two, despite faring better, it is Gill who needs more desperately to prove himself. Suryakumar Yadav’s form is unquestionably burdening India, but with just eight more matches left to the T20 World Cup in February, jettisoning a popular captain out of the team is very unlikely. Former Indian player Mohammad Kaif explains why Suryakumar Yadav’s form is a bigger concern ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
Mohammad Kaif believes that Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form is a huge concern ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Former Indian player Mohammad Kaif has opined that Suryakumar Yadav’s form is a bigger concern than Shubman Gill’s as the team can find a new opener but not a captain. His remarks came following India’s 51-run loss in the second T20I against South Africa on December 11 in Mullanpur.
Mullanpur was a good opportunity for the leaders to stand up, with India chasing a tricky 200+ score on a surface where dew may have made batting second easier. But Gill was sent back for a golden duck; Suryakumar Yadav only lasted four balls for 5 runs . Both nicked excellent deliveries: Gill with an evasive defensive prod to second slip, Suryakumar with a wild swing of the bat to the keeper as India could only make 162 in chase of 214.
During a Youtube live session call on December 12, Mohammad Kaif expressed the necessity for Suryakumar Yadav to come to form at the earliest as India requires a captain at T20I World Cup as the form concern is not an issue for Shubman Gill as he could be replaced easily by Sanju Samson or Yashasvi Jaiswal. Mohammad Kaif said :
“The biggest concern between Gill and Surya is Surya. You can find a replacement for Gill; if Gill is out, you can bring in Sanju or call Jaiswal later. But Surya is going to play no matter what. Even if he performs poorly, you will not remove Surya and bring in another captain. That issue does not exist with Gill; if you drop Gill, you can replace him with another player. But Surya will stay. He is the one who will lead you in the World Cup.”
“That is why Surya has become a bigger concern. His form matters because you have to play the World Cup in a month and a half, and Surya is a big match T20 player. He is also the captain. To win a World Cup, his form is essential. When a captain is scoring runs, his mind works better too. Remember, with good form, you also become a better captain. This is the connection with form. So I feel Surya’s return to form is absolutely necessary,” he added.
In the last 12 months, from 19 matches, on either side of a very productive IPL, skipper Suryakumar has scored just 201 runs at an average of 14.35 and a strike rate of 126.41. His deputy only managed slightly better. Gill has scored 263 runs in 14 matches, averaging 23.9 and striking at 142.93. Put together, they have not notched a 50+ score in over a year.
In the same discussion, Mohammad Kaif noted that, taking the last 2 T20Is in account , Suryakumar Yadav has a tendency to poke at deliveries outside off-stump. Mohammad Kaif added that if the right-handed batter were playing Test cricket, he would likely get out in the same way Virat Kohli used to . Mohammad Kaif said :
“How will he do that? Look at the issues. Take the last two matches for example. How did he get out? In Cuttack, Ngidi bowled a ball on his leg side. Anything coming toward his pads or leg side area, he flicks. We always praise Surya, saying no one plays the flick better. But as soon as the ball was swung from outside off toward that same area, he tried to play the leg side shot, got stuck, and the ball popped up.”
“In yesterday’s match, look at the ball outside off. He poked at it and got out. His problem is poking at deliveries outside off stump. If Surya played Test cricket, the way we always talk about Virat Kohli getting caught in slips outside off, Suryakumar would also be dismissed the same way. He too has a bottom hand dominant technique, he plays mostly on one side. Bowl outside off, he chases it,” he added.
Mohammad Kaif continued :
“Somewhere, technically, because he plays T20 and because he plays on very flat pitches, his weaknesses do not get exposed as much. But if you take just the last two matches, both times he got out on deliveries outside off. One was full, one was hard length. Sometimes, when you get a break, you need to use that time to work on technique. We have seen many times in the IPL that no one is a better leg side player than him. So now he has to work on this.”
Matters are made trickier for Gill with both Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir instilling an attacking intent in their team that banks on their deep batting lineup full of all-rounders. Gill’s Test-match temperament and technique have taken on a more refined quality recently, and it does transfer to some easy run-scoring in the opening powerplay.
But recently, it has seemed like he is trying too hard to attack, betraying an unnatural instinct. His dismissal in Cuttack, a half-hearted, woefully mistimed charge down the track that went straight to the fielder at mid-off, was evidence of that.
With Suryakumar still lagging, India will seek an upturn in form from at least one of their present top three before it starts to look stubbornly unwise in selecting them. While India assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate backed both of them to come good by the World Cup, he did shoot off, saying:
“We found ourselves being down to 35/3 more times than we would have liked in the last couple of months.” There are eight more games for that to change. But every time it doesn’t, the pressure to react only rises. Suryakumar Yadav will now next take field in the 3rd T20I vs South Africa on December 14 in Dharmashala with the series locked 1-1 .
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