Suryakumar Yadav: I know where things are going wrong
That Suryakumar Yadav is short of runs is as clear as daylight - 190 runs in 14 innings at an average of 17.26 and a strike rate of 124.2. His highest score in this period starting from the Asia Cup is an unbeaten 47, versus Pakistan in the Asia Cup. The numbers clearly do not justify the captain's stature or expectations from him. Evidently, there were questions about his form and lack of runs from his bat at the media conference in Mumbai on Saturday (December 20).
"I'm sure everyone has seen this in their respective careers," the skipper said. "I will also work on that. I know what to do. I know where things are going wrong. I've got some time to work on it. We have the New Zealand series coming up, and that's an important phase for me to work on."
After the fifth and final T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Friday, Yadav confessed to his poor form. "Maybe the only thing we couldn't quite manage was finding 'Surya the batter.' I think he went missing somewhere! But he'll be back stronger. As a team, I'm really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through. As captain, that's very satisfying," he said at the post-match presentation on Friday night.
On Saturday, he reflected on the issue. "I've been watching my videos over the past three months. Obviously, you go back to your old clips where you batted really well and delivered for India, and you try to carry the same thing forward. But yeah, I've been trying. I've been batting beautifully in the nets. The thing is, there is a small hurdle. It's invisible - you can't see it now - but it will be far away, I'm sure."
When asked whether playing the World Cup at home would be an advantage or a pressure, he replied that it would be both a responsibility and a challenge. "I think it's a good responsibility for me, and it's a good challenge as well. It's also a great motivation to play in front of your home crowd. We tried the same approach in 2023 (in the ODI World Cup), and what we tried then, I can't forget.
"So it's going to be a good challenge playing in front of the home crowd. Talking about the squad, I think it looks balanced. We've actually built all the spots really well. As he (chief selector Ajit Agarkar) rightly said, different spinners for different positions, different combinations. We already have three combinations ready, so we are quite happy with the squad."
The World Cup kicks off on February 7, with the final a month later, on March 8. Before that, India play a five-match T20I series at home against New Zealand in January.
