“We are not celebrating Suryakumar Yadav as a captain” - Former India cricketer defends T20I captain after IND vs SA 2025 series

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan defended T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav after the series against South Africa. The Men in Blue won the five-match series 3-1 after their 30-run victory in the final T20I on Friday, December 19.

Irfan Pathan reckoned that Suryakumar Yadav was not celebrated enough as a captain. While he acknowledged that India had a strong T20I side with quality batters, bowlers, and a capable group to manage the team, he credited Suryakumar for going out there and leading the side successfully.

"We are not celebrating Suryakumar Yadav as a captain as much as we should, the kind of results he has shown as a leader. 83 (73.68) win percentage which is outstanding no matter how good a team he has. It is a good team there is no doubt about that. There are some quality bowlers, bowling is our strength. We have top quality batters. We have a big group to handle the team, comparatively it becomes easier. You are not building the team as much as the previous captain but still you have to go there and perform so he must have done something right," he said on JioStar.

Suryakumar Yadav has led the side since 2023. However, he took over as full-time captain post Rohit Sharma's retirement after the 2024 T20 World Cup. So far, Suryakumar has captained the Men in Blue in 38 T20Is. They have managed to win 28 matches with six defeats, two tied results, and two washouts, with a win percentage of 73.68.

The victory against South Africa was also India's eighth consecutive T20I series win.

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Suryakumar Yadav will face a big test at the 2026 T20 World Cup, feels Irfan Pathan

Suryakumar Yadav has not been in the best of form with the bat in T20Is. In the South Africa series, he scored just 34 runs from four matches at an average of 8.50 and a strike rate of 103.03. In 19 innings in 2025, he has managed just 218 runs at an average of 13.62 and a strike rate of 123.16 without a single half-century.

However, Irfan Pathan reflected that the bigger challenge for Suryakumar would be as a captain during the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. The marquee event will begin in February next year.

India are placed in Group A alongside the USA, Namibia, the Netherlands, and Pakistan.

"Yes, he is not in form as a batter. It is the biggest Test for Suryakumar Yadav. This World Cup will give a lot of challenges. Playing against Pakistan as a captain will be a big challenge because we are playing in Sri Lanka. Then the knockout games, when the knockout game comes, if we lose the toss and if we bowl second, we are defending and if the situation arises where the ball is getting wet, what kind of strategy and tactics he applies, that will be the biggest Test," Irfan said.

With India co-hosting the event, the pressure will be on Suryakumar to defend the title. The Men in Blue are the defending champions, having won the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma.

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Edited by Rishab Vm