"He shouldn't be running after runs" - Sulakshan Kulkarni's advice for out of form Team India star ahead of IND vs NZ 2026 series

Former Mumbai and Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni urged out-of-form Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav to set small targets to regain his touch after a forgettable 2025. The explosive batter scored only 218 runs in 21 matches last year at an average of 13.63 and a strike rate of 123.16, and is under pressure leading up to the crucial 2026 T20 World Cup.

Suryakumar Yadav has arguably been a shadow of his former self ever since taking over the captaincy after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. While Team India continued their dominance in the shortest format under his regime, the runs and impact from his bat are far from making an appearance.

The Indian skipper has reassured multiple times in the recent past that his poor patch is just a phase, and the runs are bound to come, on account of his promising net sessions. However, with age creeping up, important assignments on the road ahead, and a line of replacements ready to take over, he does not have much time on his hands to turn things around.

Sulakshan Kulkarni opined that there is nothing wrong with Suryakumar Yadav's technique, but he wishes for him to work on his mindset.

“It’s the T20 format, so this has nothing to do with Surya’s technique. The problem is mindset and maybe tactical. That unbeaten 47 against Pakistan was an important knock from him. But sometimes what happens is, because of not getting enough opportunities to bat — especially when your opponents get dismissed cheaply — your rhythm can get affected. Surya appeared to have had that experience in the Asia Cup," he told Telegraph India. “But given his capacity as a batsman and his style of operating, he shouldn’t be running after runs. What he needs to do is just set himself small targets of five balls each. That way, if he can survive 10 to 15 balls, runs will, in any case, flow from his bat,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 47-run knock off 37 against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai was his highest score in 2025. He crossed the 30-run mark only twice the entire year as well.

"He is not a player who’ll score only 10 runs if he faces 15 balls" - Sulakshan Kulkarni on where Suryakumar Yadav should work on ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup

Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed inside the first 10 balls of his innings, a total of 10 times in 2025, as far as T20Is are concerned. Kulkarni emphasised the importance of the ace batter facing as many deliveries as possible, as it bumps the chances of him being back among the runs, and aids the team's cause at the same time.

“He is not a player who’ll score only 10 runs if he faces 15 balls. He will score at least 25, if not more. So, that way, if he can face 20 to 25 balls, he has every chance of getting close to 50. But first, he needs to set such small targets as these help in simplifying matters," Kulkarni said of the India captain.

Suryakumar Yadav will be next seen in Team India's home T20I series against New Zealand later this month. The five-match affair ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, is scheduled to begin on January 21.

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Edited by Gokul Nair