T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav did not enjoy a particularly memorable series with the bat against England earlier this year, according to seasoned Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane. The latter only scored 28 runs at a strike rate of 116.66 in five innings. The former India Test captain did, however, bring up Suryakumar Yadav spectacular return in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he became the first batter in the history of the competition to score 25 or more runs in 16 straight innings.
Suryakumar Yadav scored 717 runs at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91 to finish as the second-highest run scorer in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Although Suryakumar Yadav is a dangerous batter, Rahane noted that it will be interesting to observe how he conducts himself following surgery for a sports hernia in June.
“I had a rough series against England, but bounced back in the IPL with five fifties and finished as the tournament’s second-highest run scorer with a strong strike rate. Surya is a hazardous batter, as we all know. He has performed admirably in this format. However, Rahane stated on his YouTube channel, “It will be interesting to see how he approaches his batting, especially after the surgery.”
The captain is proactive: Rahane Ajinkya
Rahane commended Suryakumar for his leadership, stating that he had made aggressive decisions. The former skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders added that the Men in Blue will depend heavily on Suryakumar’s batting performance at the Asia Cup.
“He has been an excellent captain. He is an aggressive captain who has already led the team admirably, but I think his batting will be crucial in this Asia Cup,” he continued.
The Asia Cup has placed India in Group A. On Wednesday, September 10, the reigning champions will play the United Arab Emirates in Dubai to start their campaign. The other two teams in this group are Oman and Pakistan. Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka make up Group B.
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