Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has openly admitted that he is struggling to strike the right balance between T20I and ODI cricket. Now Suryakumar Yadav wants to take inspiration from South African legend AB de Villiers, who mastered both the formats with ease.
The stylish Indian batsman is facing the toughest phase of his career. Despite leading India to Asia Cup 2025 glory, Suryakumar’s recent form with the bat has become a major concern. In his last nine T20I innings, he has crossed the 30-run mark only twice.
Suryakumar Yadav wants to balance ODI-T20I
Four of those innings ended in single figures, and he was even out on a duck once. At the same time, Suryakumar’s ODI figures tell a worrying story. In 35 ODI innings, he has scored only 773 runs at an average of 25.76. Now, he is not a part of India’s ODI plans from 2023 onwards.
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Talking about his struggles, Suryakumar Yadav admitted that he has been performing consistently in T20Is but is yet to find the right approach for ODI cricket. The 35-year-old has shared that he wants to learn from AB de Villiers how to manage both the formats successfully.
Suryakumar Yadav said on Vimal Kumar’s YouTube channel, “If I meet him soon, I would like to ask him how he balanced his T20I and ODI matches. I have not been able to do that. I thought ODIs should be played like T20Is. I would like to ask him what he did to be successful in both the formats.”
The Indian captain further said, “AB, if you are hearing this, please contact me quickly because I have three or four important years ahead of me. I am also very keen to play ODI cricket. Please help me! I could not balance T20Is and ODIs.”
Suryakumar Yadav celebrates Team India’s effort in the third T20I
Away from his personal struggles, Suryakumar had something to celebrate recently. Under his captaincy, India won the third T20I against Australia by five wickets after the first match in Canberra was washed out due to rain, leveling the ongoing five-match T20I series 1–1.
Washington Sundar’s explosive unbeaten 49 runs and Arshdeep Singh’s important three wickets played an important role in India’s thrilling victory. The inclusion of Sundar, Arshdeep and Jitesh Sharma in India’s eleven proved to be a masterstroke. Jitesh scored a quick 22* in his comeback match.
Suryakumar added, “Absolutely. Those guys were working really hard and waiting for their chance. Vashi (Washington Sundar) showed great resilience, Jitesh contributed well and Arshdeep was excellent. It felt like the right combination tonight.”
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Morne Morkel stresses resilience for India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 success
Meanwhile, India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has stressed the importance of flexibility and experimentation as the team prepares for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. With the mega tournament approaching, Morkel believes India’s success will depend on how well players can adapt to different conditions and roles as India continue to experiment in T20Is.
He stressed that multiple options and combinations are important in modern cricket, where versatility often decides the outcome of big games. “You have to have options available. Every team around the world is playing with options. In this game, you need to be adaptable, and certain players can give you options in different roles,” Morkel said.
