The Indian T20I captain has been on the list since 2022
Suryakumar Yadav is one of a kind in Indian cricket. There have been many players in the country’s history to have made their international debut at the age of 31 and managed to keep their spot for long.
Suryakumar was not just a player who was having a good season, he was a maverick with the bat in white-ball cricket. He was someone who played shots all around the ground and made it look simplistic. Within the first two years of Suryakumar’s India career, it was clear he was remarkably consistent at what he does.
In the five years of his T20I career, the Mumbaikar has strike rates of 155, 187, 155, 151 and 116. And within just three years, he had a staggering four hundreds and 17 fifties and 2,141 T20I runs to his name. There was no touching Suryakumar either it be on flat track haven that is Eden Garden or the overcast seaming pitch in Nottingham, England or the bouncy surface at the Bay Oval in New Zealand.
In 2022, Suryakumar was directly responsible for India’s 22 wins from the 31 matches he played and scored a total of 840 at a ridiculous T20 average of 52.50.
This unmistakable match-winning ability landed him a central contract for the 2022-23 period and started at Grade B, a cut above the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav all who were match-winners in their own right.
His effectiveness, however, could never extend to the other two formats. Strangely enough, there hasn’t been a memorable Suryakumar Yadav innings in ODIs. Despite that, he was an automatic pick for the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. His 106 runs from seven innings, including a paltry 18 in the final against Australia made it apparent that he was unreliable outside T20Is.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Suryakumar was an unmissable selection and a calming influence at the top of the order. As BCCI announced the central contracts for 2023-24 period before the showpiece event, Suryakumar stayed put in the Grade B category even after his failure in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
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When the main event started, it took some time for him to find his rhythm. After fifties against USA and Afghanistan, the Mumbaikar stepped up on the big occasion with a 17-ball 31 that confirmed India’s journey into the semifinals. Against England, his 47 off 36 balls took time but was gold dust on a tough track in Providence.
Besides that, Suryakumar took the most jaw-dropping catch to dismiss Heinrinch Klaasen in the final against South Africa which became a part of cricket folklore. To have a calm head in the face of an adversity such as Klaasen and David Miller’s onslaught in a World Cup final is no joke.
Evidently so, Suryakumar was handed the reins of the T20I side when Rohit Sharma announced his retirement soon after lifting the World Cup.
While the brightest days of Indian cricket arrived 10 months later with a third Champions Trophy win in March 2025, Suryakumar was okay with sitting out of it and playing domestic cricket. There was no uneasiness in Suryakumar’s tone when he answered a journalist’s question about his snub for the Champions Trophy while being captain of the T20I side.
“Why would I be hurt? If I played well, I would have made the Champions Trophy side. I didn’t perform well so it’s also important to accept that,” he said.
The answer signified how the 34-year-old owned up to his lows. Even though his own T20I form is not imperious, he has led the team to a commanding 4-1 series victory against England.
It is easy to guess why his name is still in Grade B in the central contract list announced on Monday. He is still only a constant in just one format. And the ones above him in Grade A and A+ are all multi-format players. Suryakumar remains a match-winner and a cool leader but both happening at the same time on a consistent basis across formats remains a future to be manifested.
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