• Home
  • Player Stories
  • Wanderers Show When Suryakumar Yadavs Rampage Left South Africa Shell Shocked

Wanderers show: When Suryakumar Yadav's rampage left South Africa shell-shocked

Shreyasi

Suryakumar Yadav [Source:X/@LoyalSachinFan]Suryakumar Yadav [Source:X/@LoyalSachinFan]

With India playing 10 more T20 Internationals before the 2026 T20 World Cup, the priority focus for these matches will be to test and identify the best combination for the playing eleven.

It is crucial to ensure that all key players are in peak form leading up to the showpiece event. Given that the 2026 T20 World Cup will be hosted in India and Sri Lanka, Indian batters will be expected to perform consistently in the batting-friendly conditions.

Suryakumar Yadav's never-ending drought in T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav stands out as one of the most crucial players in the Indian cricket team’s T20 set-up. Renowned for his versatile batting, his ability to hit at any part of the ground has solidified his reputation as one of the best T20 batters.

With a massive experience of playing 342 T20 matches, Suryakumar is set to reach the 100 T20I mark before the World Cup begins. His staggering numbers in the format – 2,745 runs in 95 T20Is with an astonishing strike rate of 164.41, easily make him the most suitable candidate to lead India from the front.

However, Suryakumar Yadav has been struggling recently with T20I form. Since the start of the last T20 World Cup, Suryakumar's performance has dipped- 613 runs in 35 T20Is, averaging 21.89 with just four fifties. His strike rate during this period is 143.55, much lower compared to his overall career.

Flashback: Suryakumar's last T20I hundred against South Africa

With India’s 5-match T20I series against South Africa set to begin on December 9, Suryakumar Yadav would like to regain his form soon. His last T20I outing against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg two years ago could be his blueprint for the same.

Suryakumar was leading the squad in the absence of Rohit Sharma. It also missed stars like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. He came out to bat in the third over with the score on 29/2 after India lost Shubman Gill and Tilak Varma on back-to-back deliveries.

Suryakumar and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched together 112 runs for the third wicket off just 69 deliveries before Jaiswal was out for 60. The captain carried on and finished on 100 off 56 deliveries with 7 fours and 8 sixes.

It was Suryakumar’s fourth T20I century. Suryakumar's composure was the need of the hour. He understood the assignment well, played according to the situation, and took India’s total to 201/7.

His back-to-back sixes over wide long-on and midwicket to bring up fifty, and then his innings ensuring the team did not have any setback following Yashasvi’s dismissal, speak of his experience and determination. The target was too steep for the home team, who were all out for just 95 runs, thanks to a 5-fer by Kuldeep Yadav.

Stage is set to deliver in T20Is

The good news for India’s T20I captain currently is his form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Before joining the India squad for the T20I series, Suryakumar played five games for Mumbai, winning four of them. He scored 165 runs at an average of 41.25 and a strike rate of 139.83.

No wonder Suryakumar will strive to translate his good form from domestic cricket to the international stage. These numbers will serve as an encouragement for the T20I captain of the Indian cricket team to regain his form.

He would aim to replicate the Johannesburg T20I ton against the same opposition. A good series against South Africa will be vital for boosting his morale and, alongside helping the team find its core balance.