Ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has given struggling Suryakumar Yadav some much-needed guidance. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the major event, which is set to begin next month.
Since last year, the Indian T20 captain, who was once the world’s top hitter in T20Is, has been having trouble with his form. He had a terrible year as a batsman in 2025, scoring only 218 runs with a strike rate of 123.16 and a meagre average of 13.62 in the 21 games he played, although leading India to several triumphs. The Mumbai batter’s standards are far higher than the figures.
The struggling right-handed batsman received some guidance from Ponting, who is renowned for having a keen cricket mind. The 51-year-old acknowledged during the ICC Review conference prior to the ICC T20 World Cup that he is surprised by how badly the India T20 skipper is playing.
Considering his recent performance, that is as surprising to me as it can get. He has long been an important and reliable member of India’s T20 cricket team, but lately he hasn’t been able to find it. “When I’ve seen him perform at his best, he takes six, eight, or ten balls to get going and then just lets it all go, which makes him an interesting one.” He backs himself and plays all of his shots, giving the impression that they don’t ever worry about leaving, according to Ponting.
Ponting claims that Suryakumar will benefit from a shift in perspective since it may allow him to play more freely and rediscover his lost rhythm.
“I would tell him that. Instead than thinking on going out, I would advise you to focus on scoring runs. Have faith in yourself and support yourself. Go and show everyone once more that you are as good as anyone in the world in the T20 format,” Ponting urged.
Shubman Gill’s exclusion from Team India’s World Cup team also shocked the two-time World Cup champion captain. Prior to being fired, Gill served as vice captain until the penultimate T20I series.
Yes, that was unbelievable to me. I am aware that he hasn’t played well in white-ball cricket lately. And he batted as brilliantly as I’ve ever seen anyone bat during the Test series against England in the UK, which was the last time I truly saw him play,” he remarked.
On February 7, the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will begin. On the same day, India will begin their championship defence against the United States at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. The Men in Blue will get the opportunity to regain their form and rhythm before to the World Cup by playing a five-match T20I series against New Zealand.
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