Most Indian fans would want Suryakumar Yadav to overcome his slump, win, and dazzle the crowd with his 360-degree strokes in the most important game—the Asia Cup final against Pakistan— in Dubai on Sunday.
Surya has had one good knock in the tournament so far, scoring an unbeaten 47 in the group stage match against Pakistan.
Even Surya would concede, though, that Abhishek Sharma had set the tone with a scorching 31 and that the total was modest. The former world No. 1 batter has taken a backseat somewhere, and some of the figures aren’t exactly flattering, even though Surya, the T20I captain, has had a tremendous run thus far.
The tempo of the game changes quickly in Twenty20 cricket, and since he took over as captain, his batting has somewhat deteriorated. This is mostly because he volunteered for floating batting positions to make sure some of the younger players got adequate batting. Surya faced 271 balls in 15 innings in 2024 and amassed 420 runs at a strike-rate of 155, including four half-centuries. He had a dot ball percentage of 35 and had struck 40 boundaries and 22 sixes in those 15 knocks.
In 2025, Surya scored 99 runs off 90 balls at a strike-rate of 110 in 10 innings, mostly as a result of self-rotation of his batting position. India has become so dominant that the target hasn’t been big in most run chases.
Abhishek and Sanju Samson, for example, scored a lot of runs when they batted first, giving Surya very little time to set up his innings.
The concerning aspect, however, is that he has only managed 10 fours and 3 sixes in those 10 innings, while the dot ball rate has increased to around 48, which translates to 5 dot balls every delivery.
Since there is so much data available, most opposing teams are bowling Surya fuller and straighter balls rather than the slightly paced back of the length deliveries that result in his signature shots and which he smashes behind square.
He’s hardly getting anything pitched up to unleash his trademark lofted punch over extra cover. Add to that the Dubai tracks, which get tougher for batting after the Powerplay, and the softer white Kookaburra — and it’s clear why runs haven’t come easily for him.
Most medium pacers have been taking the pace off and targeting wide yorkers outside off, keeping the ball out of his hitting arc.
The captains typically keep a wide extra cover fielder, a third man, and possibly a short third and a straightish mid-off among the five fielders outside the 30-yard circle. So taking an off-stump guard that will force bowlers to shift their lines towards middle-leg might be the best scoring option for the Indian captain, whose runs are ultimately what count since he is too skilled a player to struggle for an extended period of time.
