India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav insists he’s not out of form, even after a quiet Asia Cup run where his bat didn’t fire much. Stats show he scored just 72 runs in seven innings, averaging 18 with a strike rate around 100 and a top score of 47 not out. But Suryakumar brushes it off with a laugh.
India stormed to an unbeaten Asia Cup title, powered by young gun Abhishek Sharma’s big hits and timely middle-order rescues. In the final against Pakistan in Dubai, chasing 147, Abhishek stumbled, leaving Suryakumar to step up for a packed crowd. Instead, he scratched out just 1 run off 5 balls before Shaheen Afridi’s clever slower ball fooled him into holing out to Salman Agha on the slow pitch.
After India’s thrilling five-wicket win, Suryakumar joked to reporters in Hindi: “Start hi nahi mila, convert kaha se honge.” (Roughly: “I didn’t even get a start, so how could I convert?”) He added seriously, “I am not out of form, but I am out of runs. That’s what I believe.”
The victory came without star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who sat out due to a nagging injury. In the Super Fours clash against Sri Lanka, Hardik bowled only one over in India’s Super Over win and spent most of the game sidelined, battling cramps. Bowling coach Morne Morkel said afterward, “We’ll assess Hardik tonight and tomorrow morning and make a call. But both of them struggled with cramps.”
Suryakumar shared that Hardik pushed hard to recover but couldn’t make it. “He was really dejected knowing he wouldn’t play the final—any cricketer would want to be out there,” Suryakumar said. “Yesterday, he gave it his all, and the sports science team worked overtime to get him ready. But sometimes, it’s just not meant to be.”
With Hardik out, Shivam Dube stepped up unexpectedly to open India’s bowling with the new ball. To fans’ shock, Dube kept Pakistan’s openers in check with tight lines, ending with 0 for 23 in three overs. Suryakumar wasn’t surprised at all. “Shivam practices with both old and new balls,” he explained. “We go with eight batters and plenty of all-rounders, so he took the responsibility. I’ve seen him bowl well in domestic cricket. The coach and I were confident he’d deliver, and he did just that.”
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