After a difficult year with the bat in T20 Internationals and the added responsibility of captaincy weighing heavily during that phase, Suryakumar Yadav opened up on how patience, time in the middle and stepping away from social media helped him find his groove again. Suryakumar managed just 218 runs in 21 T20Is across 2025, raising concerns as India prepared to defend their T20 World Cup title next month. Those doubts, however, have eased during the ongoing series against New Zealand. He began with a measured 32 off 22 balls in the opening game before switching gears with a blistering 82 off 37 deliveries in the second.
“There’s a coach sitting at home as well, to whom I am married. She keeps telling me, ‘I think you should take some time (in the middle)’,” Suryakumar said while speaking to Ishan Kishan in a BCCI video. He added that his wife’s close understanding helped him recalibrate his approach. “She reads my mind. I decided to take some time… and I have got a better feeling.” He admitted that net sessions alone were not enough. “I was anyway telling everyone that I was batting well. I was trying in the nets. But no matter how much you do in the nets, until you score runs in the match, you don’t get confidence,” he said. A break away from the game and social media also played a key role. “I got a good break of 2–3 weeks. I went home and cut off all social media… I practiced well in the last three weeks and I came in with a good (mental) space,” he explained. Kishan chipped in, saying, “… and it’s very important to stay happy,” a thought Suryakumar fully agreed with. “Cricket is a fantastic leveller… it is very important to have humility,” he said. Suryakumar also joked about breaking the narrative that India only wins when Abhishek Sharma scores big. “… we also had to end this conversation in front of the world,” he said. “If Ishan gets runs, we can win the match too… It’s a team game.” Praising Kishan’s explosive 76 off 32 balls, which included the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian against New Zealand, Suryakumar said, “I have never seen anyone bat like this in my life in T20 cricket.” Kishan responded by saying confidence was the key. “I was seeing the ball really well… even on a good ball, I felt like I would either hit it or take a single,” he said.
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