Former World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma has made a big remark about his long-time teammate and current India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s batting performance. Rohit was discussing how Suryakumar’s batting is critical for India.
All eyes are on how their captain stacks up in the series as he is definitely not all guns blazing going into the five-match T20I series (playing against New Zealand) before we step into ICC Men’s World Cup 2026. With the bat, he had a horror year in 2025 scoring only 218 runs at just an average of 13.62 across his last 21 matches.
Rohit Sharma spoke about how the Men in Blue need to get the 35-year-old back among runs before the competition and what it would mean for India’s batting.
“It’s not about the captain getting in form or not. If a player is not in form. The seven or eight batters we have, out of that, we are getting one less batter. The main batting power that we have, obviously, if you leave one out, then it will not be as effective as it should be. If Surya doesn’t play well, the batting lineup suffers,” said Rohit said on JioHotstar.
“I think Surya has a lot of understanding regarding the game and the players who are playing with him, how to get the best out of them,” said Rohit while praising Suryakumar’s man-management skills.
Watch the video here:
“SKY knows the game. He knows the players.” 💙@ImRo45 highlights @surya_14kumar's form and impact, calling him a critical batter whose presence brings balance and confidence to India’s batting lineup. 🔑🔥
Why is SKY central to India’s success on the biggest stage? 🤔
Watch it… pic.twitter.com/JEXFzIPhWA
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 20, 2026‘I feel he is putting too much pressure’ – Suryakumar receives support from Ajinkya Rahane
Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane, in fact, has also commented on the Mumbai batter’s battle with the willow. The KKR captain felt the hard-hitting batter is over-exerting himself instead of having fun on the field.
“He has been out of form recently, but I am really looking forward to seeing Surya coming back to form just before the World Cup. For Surya’s ability, those numbers are pretty low. I feel he is putting too much pressure on himself as a batter, trying to do too many things,” said Rahane.
The five-match series against the Blackcaps will provide an excellent opportunity for the Indian captain to find his rhythm and get some runs under his belt ahead of the mega event.
