Strike rate of just 125: Analysing Suryakumar Yadav's T20I slump just before T20 World Cup

Decoding why SKY has failed in T20Is this year [Source: AFP Photo]

With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, the Indian side has plenty of problems to deal with. A few months ago, everything was going smoothly for the Men in Blue, but fast forward to December 2025, things look a bit shaky and it starts with the form of their captain, Suryakumar Yadav.

Once the undisputed best batter of Team India and one of the best across the globe, Suryakumar Yadav’s downfall in 2025 needs to be studied as the batter has looked a pale shadow of his former self and is yet to register a single fifty-plus score this year. So, what is wrong with SKY? is it a technical problem, or has too many chop and changes hampered his batting?

Suryakumar Yadav T20I numbers in last two years

(SKY in T20Is in 2025, 2024)

• A lot has changed in the last two years for India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav. While he dominated the proceedings in 2024, scoring four fifties and striking at 151, the numbers have had a sharp decline this year.
• He also scored in crucial matches and was pivotal in India’s T20 World Cup triumph, but the same cannot be said about his performances this year. In 20 matches, SKY has only accumulated 213 runs.
• His batting average dropped to 14, and for the first time in his career, Suryakumar’s strike rate has dropped below the 150-mark in a calendar year (125.29).
• From 4 fifties in 2024 to zero in 2025, SKY has failed to deliver as a batter in the game's shortest format.

Decoding why Suryakumar Yadav has failed in 2025

Too many chop and changes in the batting order

• Before Virat Kohli’s retirement from T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav’s batting position was fixed at number 4 and the batter was given a clear game plan by the then captain, Rohit Sharma. Even for Mumbai Indians, SKY bats at 4, and he is used to the role at that designated spot.
• Since the T20 World Cup in 2024, SKY has only batted 9 times out of 21 matches at number 4 and this has disrupted his game as there is a constant chopping and changing in the setup by the new coaching management.

Pressure of captaincy

• While Suryakumar’s captaincy record is strong as he also captured the Asia Cup 2025 trophy by beating Pakistan, the captaincy burden has taken a toll on his batting. As the stats suggest, leading the Indian side has become a burden as his numbers have dipped in 2025, and the strike rate has also gone down.
• The captaincy record is outstanding but it has affected SKY’s batting and this is a worrying sign ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Poor form against pace bowling

This year, his numbers have dipped against pace bowling and the numbers reveal the entire story.

(SKY against pacers in 2025)

• In 17 matches, SKY has been dismissed by pacers in 14 innings, and interestingly, his average is a mere 8.9 as the Indian skipper has only scored 124 runs in 111 deliveries. This is one of the main reasons why SKY has failed in T20Is this year.

Final verdict

Suryakumar Yadav is India’s best T20I batter, but the skipper is going through a slump and the numbers reveal the story. He has plenty of batting problems, and with the World Cup a couple of months away, SKY needs to reinvent himself as India needs him in the marquee event.

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