India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is currently facing intense scrutiny as his struggles with the bat continue in the shortest format of the game. Over the past few years, Suryakumar has been a key figure in India’s T20 plans; however, a prolonged dip in form has now raised serious questions about his performances and leadership responsibility.
It has been 20 T20I innings since Suryakumar last registered a half-century, which is quite shocking for a player who was once regarded as one of the most destructive T20 batters. Suryakumar’s struggles have continued in India’s ongoing five-match home T20I series against South Africa. In the opening match, he scored 12 and in the second game he was dismissed for just five.
"You are the team's captain, but a captain's job is not just to toss and manage the bowlers. It's not just about making the strategy. If you bat in the top four, your primary role is to score runs. It's been many matches. If you have an average of 14 in 17 innings and the strike rate is also not very good, you don't have a single fifty, and have crossed 25 just twice, it's been a problem on either side of the IPL," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra stressed that Yadav needs to get runs under his belt ahead of the T20I World Cup.
"I am not saying there is any doubt over Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, or that he won't be India's captain in the World Cup. I am not suggesting that at all, so don't ever misquote me, but the truth is that he needs to score runs," he said.
"If you are playing at No. 3 or No. 4 and are not scoring runs, and they aren't being scored consistently and over a long period of time, you won't be that confident when you start the World Cup. So, Suryakumar Yadav, the captain, and Shubman Gill, the vice-captain, scoring runs is absolutely imperative," he added.