Team India may have been enjoying an unbeaten run in the Asia Cup 2025 so far, but their skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s form remains a cause of concern ahead of the final.
The Men in Blue are due to face arch-rivals Pakistan in the title clash on Sunday (September 28) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Ahead of the high-stake fixture, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has voiced concerns over Suryakumar’s lean patch and his mode of dismissals in the continental event.
The Indian captain has scored 71 runs in five innings at an average of 23.66 and a strike rate of 107.57, with scores of 7*, 47*, 0, 5 and 12 to his name. He was dismissed while attempting a sweep against Wanindu Hasaranga in India’s last Super 4 match.
“If his bat talks, his captaincy will also benefit. Suryakumar Yadav getting out while playing a sweep is definitely an area of concern, and this entire year has been like that. One or two innings have come for sure in international cricket. The IPL was very good, but he hasn’t scored runs in international cricket,” Pathan said on Sony Sports.
“He needs to come out of this. We discussed in the commentary in the last match as well, as much as possible, try to play straight when you are not in form, especially against fast bowlers, but he got while playing a sweep against a spinner today. This team will become stronger if he gets his form,” he added.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf have been punished for breaching the ICC code of conduct in the ongoing Asia Cup.
After the hearings that concluded Friday, match referee Richie Richardson imposed 30% match fee fine on both players, while another Pakistan cricketer Sahibzada Farhan was let go of with a warning for his gun-shot celebration after reaching half-century in the Super 4 clash against India.
PCB had demanded the ICC impose a Level 4 sanction, reserved for the most serious breaches of the code of conduct, on the Indian captain for dedicating his team's September 14 victory to his country's Armed Forces and for also expressing solidarity with the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.
