Former India fast bowler Vinay Kumar has given a suggestion to Suryakumar Yadav before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 starting from February 7.
India will begin its World Cup campaign against the USA cricket team on the opening day of the tournament. Ahead of the competition, Yadav’s recent form has become a cause of concern for the Indian team management.
Suryakumar Yadav continues to struggle with form in 2025
Suryakumar Yadav is one of the most brilliant batsmen in the entire world. He was the most consistent batsman for Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2025 season. But for Team India, 2025 was a very difficult year for the middle order.
According to Vinay Kumar, to get his form back, Suryakumar should consider himself a top-order batsman instead of keeping himself in the middle order.
Kumar asked Suryakumar Yadav to change his batting position
Kumar admitted that batting position is one of the most important things for a batsman. As a captain, Yadav has been trying to inspire emerging players or newcomers to the team to bat ahead of him, which has led to Yadav’s batting position going backward.
For Kumar, Yadav is a key top-order batsman who is mostly a No. 3 batsman in the Twenty20 format. Therefore, batting at No. 4 or even deeper down the order will not work for him. The former cricketer suggested that Yadav should bat at the top of the order in the ongoing T20 series against New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
“It is important for any player to bat at his best position. Surya plays well at the top of the order. But as a captain, he has to cushion others and take the hits. Your role as a captain is not easy. You have to put others in front, give them cushion and somewhere you take the hits. But this bilateral series is not like the World Cup. It is important to play at your best position,” Vinay Kumar said during an interaction on Star Sports.
Probable playing eleven, Suryakumar Yadav number 3 batsman
Kumar outlined a batting order for India that he felt could be most effective during the T20 World Cup 2026 matches. Since Shubman Gill is not in the T20 squad, Vinay Kumar chose Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as the openers and Suryakumar Yadav as the number three batsman, followed by Tilak Verma at number four.
Since Verma’s participation is not certain from the start of the tournament, Kumar has kept Shreyas Iyer as the second option for the fourth position. Kumar also said that Gill’s absence could be the best opportunity for Yadav to push himself up the batting order.
Kumar said, “Maybe this is the reason why Shubman Gill is not in the team. If Gill is not there, then the chances of Surya playing at number three increases. Sanju can open with Abhishek, Surya can come at number three and Tilak at number four. If Tilak is not fit, then Shreyas can take his place.”
“I think any player will think about when he got success, what number he batted at, how he batted and what was his mentality. I think he will consider all this and pick the numbers. There is no margin for mistakes in the T20 World Cup.”
read more: Shreyas Iyer named best replacement for Tilak Verma; Suryakumar Yadav was assigned fixed batting position
