Suryakumar Yadav’s barren run with bat as India skipper continues in Asia Cup final

DUBAI: Suryakumar Yadav’s appalling dry spell with the bat since taking over India’s T20I captaincy mantle continued in the Asia Cup final on Dubai’s slow-paced track against Pakistan on Sunday.

In July last year, the captaincy baton was passed from Rohit to Suryakumar after the seasoned opener bid adieu to the format following India’s fabled T20 World Cup title-winning campaign in Barbados. Since moving to the pinnacle of leadership hierarchy, runs and form have eluded Suryakumar.

The explosive swashbuckler walloped a ton against Bangladesh in October 2024, which remains his last fifty as a captain. He ran rampant in Hyderabad with a rollicking 75 off 35 deliveries, which was seen as an ominous sign by many. However, since then, Suryakumar was last seen dazzling with his mojo while representing the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Sunday, during India’s pursuit of a 147-run target, Abhishek Sharma, who has done the bulk of the scoring, fell cheaply on 5(6). The onus fell on Suryakumar to turn the tide in India’s favour, but he left the spectators disappointed with another sluggish outing.

The 35-year-old was outfoxed by Shaheen Afridi’s slower delivery and holed out to his Pakistan counterpart, Salman Agha, and returned to the hut cheaply on 1(5). With another dreadful outing, Suryakumar has mustered up just 112 runs in eight innings at an underwhelming average of 16 while striking at 105.26.

While in the T20I tournament finals, Suryakumar has 115 runs at 14.37 in eight innings. Overall, in 2025, the Indian skipper has managed just 100 runs from 11 innings, at a mere average of barely over 9. As the Indian skipper, Suryakumar has managed just 330 runs in 20 innings, which further exemplifies his woes.

Before taking up captaincy in July last year, he boasted a batting average of 43.33, which has now declined to 37.08. His campaign in the Asia Cup concluded with 71 runs in six innings at an average of 23.66, with a strike rate barely above 100 and a best of 47*, which he registered against Pakistan in the group stage on his 35th birthday. (ANI)