India captain Suryakumar Yadav will welcome his 35th birthday with an emotionally-charged evening in Dubai on Sunday as his side braces to face Pakistan in their Asia Cup Group A contest. While the teams enter the contest in the backdrop of severe backlash from both nations following the Pahalgam terror strikes from earlier this year, the Indian captain will also have to contend with a specific concern that has plagued his batting over the last calendar year.
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Since taking over as full-time T20I captain from Rohit Sharma after India’s World Cup in June 2024, Suryakumar has not been the best of form with the bat while constantly floating between no.s 3 and 4 in the batting order. His leadership has not come under question, with India winning 19 of their 22 contests in the period. However, Suryakumar’s blade has often been silenced by deft variations by the bowlers, including the slower deliveries.
While the Mumbaikar was out in the middle briefly during India’s emphatic win over United Arab Emirates, Suryakumar will be keen to make amends to his scoring form with bulky shares in the remainder of the tournament. And in the lead-up to the high-octane Pakistan clash where spinners have been uncharacteristically primed to shine, Suryakumar has received some advice from fellow 360-degree marauder, AB de Villiers, on how to approach the ‘slow game’.
Suryakumar’s slower-ball and Pakistan weakness
“SKY has always been the guy who has been exceptional at using the pace and understanding the game. He is a good reader of the situation and what the bowler is trying to do to get him out. He is very good with the flick shots and placement,” de Villiers said on YouTube.
However, de Villiers observed Suryakumar’s lack of emphasis on sheer power sometimes obstructed his effectiveness against slower deliveries.
“When you face slower balls you need the ability to keep your base and shape for a longer period of time and allow the ball to come into your space. I won’t say its his weakness. Especially if he doesn’t get out to it often. My advice to him would be if you are struggling to clear the boundary in front of square off slower balls, just make sure you rotate, maybe get two runs, the bowler can’t just always bowl slower balls. I dont think it is a weakness,” AB De Villiers added.
Suryakumar has particularly found it hard to counter Pakistan in the format, with just 64 runs in five innings at an average of 12.80.
