All eyes are on Suryakumar Yadav as the India national cricket team is set to face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 on March 8 in Ahmedabad. The Men in Blue have shown excellent form in the last few matches, but their captain Suryakumar Yadav remains a matter of major concern for the defending champions.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav is facing heavy criticism for his inconsistent performances in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, especially against the top teams. Suryakumar scored 11 runs in the Super 8 match against West Indies and then could only score 18 runs in the semi-final against England.
Aakash Chopra warns India about Suryakumar Yadav’s poor World Cup record before the final
Adding fuel to the fire, former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra has admitted that Suryakumar has not played many big innings against strong teams in the recent World Cup. However, the cricket pundit noted how the Indian captain scored 84 runs and gave India a strong start against USA.
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Chopra also called the criticism “a bit unfair”, while describing the Indian captain’s innings of 32 against Pakistan as his best innings in this tournament because it was required at that stage; Otherwise, India might not have been able to bat 20 overs.
Aakash Chopra hopes Suryakumar Yadav will perform well in the T20 World Cup 2026 final
However, in the subsequent matches, the stylish right-hander did not play another big innings, scoring more than 240 runs. Well, the commentator has pointed out that Surya’s record against top teams in World Cup matches has not been very strong so far.
“However, it is true that he has not scored many runs against big teams. This is his fifth World Cup. He has scored only two half-centuries against top 10 teams, one against South Africa in Perth and one against Afghanistan in the last World Cup. Maybe in the final,” Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra predicts possible demotion of Suryakumar Yadav against New Zealand
Now, as India prepare to face New Zealand in the final, Chopra is hopeful that the captain can play big innings when it matters most. However, he feels that Suryakumar can come to bat at number 5 in the title match like the semi-final match against England.
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There is also a possibility that India may adjust their batting order depending on the conditions, possibly using a power hitter like Shivam Dubey to attack New Zealand’s spin attack, which includes Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra and Cole McConchie.
Chopra said, “Hopefully he will score a big score, although we also saw him weakening himself in the batting order in the last match because the spinners were bowling. The same can happen in this match.”
It could be Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, or Cole McConchie, so you can ask Shivam Dube to go and take them down. So this can also happen. I am not saying that an innings of 70 runs is needed, but an innings is needed. That’s what I’m hoping for.”