Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has provided some crucial advise to struggling Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The premier event is set to begin next month, with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting it.
The India T20 captain, once the world’s best batter in T20Is, has been out of sorts since last year. Despite being at the helm of the side which won very impressively on a number of occasions in 2025, he had an awful calendar year as a batsman scoring just 218 runs with SR and average figures being 123.16 and 13.62 respectively across 21 matches. The stats are nowhere close to the standards that Mumbai’s batter has set for himself.
Ricky Ponting, noted for his quick cricket mind, gave some counsel to the struggling right-hander. Speaking at the ICC Review meeting ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, the 51-year-old expressed surprise at how badly the India T20 captain is suffering for form.
“That’s as big a surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He’s been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn’t been able to find it of late,” Ponting said on ICC review.
“He’s an interesting one because when I’ve seen him play his best, he’s taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go.” “He plays all of his shots and backs himself and a bit like Travis Head where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out.”
Ricky Ponting
According to Ponting, a shift in perspective will benefit Suryakumar Yadav by allowing him to play more freely and regain his lost rhythm.
“That’s what I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out. Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again.”
Ricky Ponting
The two-time World Cup winner also expressed surprise at Shubman Gill’s omission from India’s World Cup squad. Gill served as vice-captain until the penultimate T20I series before the selectors dropped him.
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe that. I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket. And the last time that I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat.”
Ricky Ponting
The Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 begins on February 7. India open their title defence against the United States at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on the opening day. Before that, the Men in Blue face New Zealand in a five-match T20I series, which offers a key chance to regain form and rhythm ahead of the World Cup.
