Time for 'skipper Surya' to let 'batter Surya' take over in Asia Cup summit clash

Dubai: Suryakumar Yadav is an endearing anomaly in the social media era. Perhaps, the last bridge in this Indian team between the pristine old and the snazzy new. He might not be your friend, not even your acquaintance but will always meet you with such warmth and humility that one is sold for life.

It has been a norm during these three weeks in Dubai during the Asia Cup.

After the India nets at the ICC Academy ground, Suryakumar finds enough time to exchange pleasantries with the media before taking the staircase to the dining room in the indoor facility.

He would come to the media conferences and answer all the questions, the smile never leaves his face.

Answers may or may not convince you, but the sincerity that rings around his voice will always be more than convincing.

Hence, more people than one would imagine would want Suryakumar to come out of his lean patch, succeed and enthrall the Indian fans with his 360 degree strokes in the match that matters most -- an Asia Cup final against Pakistan here on Sunday.

Surya has had one good innings in the tournament -- a 47 not out against Pakistan in the first encounter between the two teams in the tournament.

However, even Surya would himself admit that the total was a modest one and Abhishek Sharma had set the platform with a blazing 31.

While Surya the T20I skipper has enjoyed a fabulous run so far, somewhere the former world No. 1 ranked batter has taken a back-seat and some of the numbers aren't exactly flattering.

In T20s, pace of the game changes in a flash and since he became the skipper, his batting has suffered a bit, largely due to floating batting positions volunteered by him to ensure some of the youngsters get enough game time.

In 2024, Surya played 15 innings, faced 271 balls, scored 420 runs at a strike-rate of 155 with four half-centuries.

He had hit 40 boundaries and 22 sixes in those 15 knocks and the dot ball percentage was 35.

Cut to 2025, Surya, across 10 innings, made 99 runs off 90 balls at a strike-rate of 110 — largely due to the self-shuffling of his batting position.

Now, India has been so dominant, that in most chases, the target hasn't been big.

When they batted first, the likes of Abhishek and Sanju Samson have scored bulk of runs giving Surya very little time to set up his innings.

But the alarming part is in those 10 innings, he has managed only 10 fours and three sixes and dot ball percentage has gone up to nearly 48, translating to five dot balls in every delivery.

“I would want skipper Surya to care for batter Surya. Just like he cares about a Tilak, Sanju or Abhishek, he should care for Surya, the world class batter.

“I want Surya to forget that he is the captain when he is batting and play bindaas (carefree) cricket like he has done in all these years,” former India keeper and noted analyst Deep Dasgupta told PTI.

With so much data available, most of the opposition teams are bowling straighter and fuller lines to Surya instead of slightly pacy back of the length deliveries, which he whips behind square -- his signature shots.

Neither he is being fed on length which helps him execute his other pet-shot, lofted punch over extra cover.

The tracks in Dubai where batting is becoming difficult after Powerplay and the white Kookaburra getting softer, have also not helped his cause.

Most of the medium pacers are trying to take pace off deliveries and bowl wide yorkers out of his hitting arc outside the off stump.

Out of the five fielders outside the 30-yard circle, the captains are normally keeping a wide extra cover fielder, a third man and occasionally short third and a straightish mid-off.

So what could be the way out? Dasgupta feels that the skipper can try and take an off-stump guard.

“He can shift a bit towards the off-stump while taking a stance. That will allow him to meet those slower wide yorkers closer and he is master of hitting over extra cover.

“The off-stump guard will also force bowlers to shift their lines towards middle-leg and with only two outside the circle on the on and leg-side, he can out-manoeuvre the bowlers who by now would be forced to change the length,” he observed.

Eventually, what matters is the runs from the Indian skipper for he is too good a player to fail for a prolonged phase.

A smiling Surya radiates energy and oozes confidence which India would require in abundance in the summit clash.