Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Sep 26: In the ongoing Asia Cup, India captain Suryakumar Yadav finds himself under scrutiny, not for his leadership, but for his worrying slump with the bat. The 35-year-old batter, once ranked No. 1 in T20Is, has struggled to find form, raising questions about India’s middle-order stability ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Over the last nine innings, Surya has scored just 87 runs at an average of 12.42 and a strike rate of 112.98. In the Asia Cup alone, he has managed 59 runs in four innings, failing to deliver the impact expected from India’s captain. His last T20I fifty came 14 innings ago, highlighting a prolonged patch of poor form.

Despite the slump, Surya has been in the news for off-field antics, including not shaking hands with Pakistan players after India’s seven-wicket win in the league match and joking about demoting himself to No. 11 against Oman. On September 21, he questioned the notion of a Pakistan-India rivalry, citing India’s head-to-head dominance in T20s, though Pakistan still leads the overall record across formats.

Captaincy aside, the middle-order experiment in India’s lineup has added to Surya’s challenges. He has been shuffled across positions to maintain flexibility in batting, which he defended, stating, “I think everyone should be flexible in batting except for the openers… it is very important to be flexible.” While the approach aims to balance left-handers, right-handers, and power hitters, it has sometimes backfired, as seen against Bangladesh when Sanju Samson was shielded from batting.

India remains a strong contender for the Asia Cup title, but Suryakumar Yadav’s form is a concern. Analysts and fans hope he regains touch before the T20 World Cup, as the team cannot afford to enter the global tournament with the captain as a potential weak link.