IND v ENG 2025: “Need to have better answers…,” Ashwin advises Suryakumar Yadav after flop show in England T20I series

Suryakumar returned with scores of 0,12,14,0 and 2 in the five-T20I series against England.

Suryakumar Yadav | GettyTeam India may have won the T20I series 4-1 against England, but skipper Suryakumar Yadav failed to make a mark in the five matches.

The right-hander, who is widely regarded as one of the best batters in the shortest format, returned with scores of 0,12,14,0 and 2, much to the disappointment of the Indian fans.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin weighed in on Suryakumar’s string of low scores, advising the latter to change his approach at the crease.

Surya’s dismissals during the series were largely a result of mistimed attacking shots, either edging the ball behind or mis-hitting it into the air.

“The problem though, however, is Suryakumar's batting. Of course, his captaincy has been really good in this series. His captaincy has been on point, too. But he can allow his batting some much-needed breathing space. Sanju Samson and SKY getting out to the same ball, same field, same shot, same mistake, same dismissal,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

“I can understand it happening in 1-2 games, but this is not uncanny anymore. Players should play with freedom, but our batters need to have better answers to the same question,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav has four T20I centuries to his name, but runs have dried up for the Mumbai batter lately.

“Suryakumar Yadav is a very experienced guy. One could say he was at the forefront of a change of guard of sorts. But it is time he changed his approach to his batting,” said Ashwin.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are currently not a part of the T20I setup and only time will tell whether the duo gets picked going forward, with the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson doing well at the top of the order.

“This is a problem of plenty, not embarrassment of many. Why are we embarrassed when we have the riches? Let's use terms that best exemplify our bench. Of course, Jaiswal has a place in this team, but this innings by Abhishek Sharma would train all eyes on him,” Ashwin stated.

“He's such a pretty-looking batsman who makes cricket look so easy on the eye. It will be tough to take our eyes off him,” he remarked.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 03 Feb, 2025

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