India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav endured a lean patch with the bat last year. He managed to score only 218 runs across 21 matches and 19 innings, averaging just over 13, with the best score of 47* to his credit.
With nearly two weeks remaining for the T20 World Cup 2026, the Men in Blue are currently hosting New Zealand in a five-match T20I series.
The first T20I was played on Wednesday on (January 21) in Nagpur, where Suryakumar showcased glimpses of returning to form. The former No.1-ranked T20I batter scored 32 off 22 balls with 4 fours and 1 six.
Yadav was involved in a 99-run partnership for the third wicket with Abhishek Sharma, who slammed 84 off 35 balls with 5 fours and 8 sixes to lay the foundation of India’s massive 238/7 in 20 overs.
After the match, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said Suryakumar Yadav took the “monkey of his back” with this outing against the Kiwis.
Ashwin also highlighted that Suryakumar could easily have pushed for a half-century but chose to follow the team’s attacking philosophy.
"It is a monkey off the back. A lot of people were talking about Suryakumar's batting and his form and all of that,” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“In all honesty, in T20 cricket, you don't have to aim for consistency. What I liked was that he got those runs; he looked in good touch today. If a batter wants to look to get runs, they would have looked to get a fifty. But Surya did not do that. This team has a theme, they will look to keep scoring and hitting. He looked in his element. He looked good and this is a big positive for him,” he added.
According to Ashwin, India’s team combination in the first T20I against New Zealand could be a blueprint for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"Maybe there will surely be a conversation to bring in a bowler, seeing how (Shivam) Dube's bowling goes. But he got three overs today. So they are backing his bowling, and I think there are conversations around him bowling. This is probably the combination," he stated.
Commenting on Kuldeep Yadav’s snub from the opening T20I after a difficult ODI series, Ashwin termed it a “break to reflect upon”.
"But I am a big fan (of Kuldeep). You will have to get strong as a pack in T20 cricket and address the strengths somewhere else. If you do not have Jasprit Bumrah or someone else, then you have to address with a bit of batting depth. But in this team, you are getting runs in the powerplay, Hardik (Pandya) is scoring, you have seven bowling options. I would like to play Bumrah, Arshdeep (Singh), Varun (Chakaravarthy), and Kuldeep. But if it is like today, then it is absolutely fine," he remarked.
Coming to the match, New Zealand slumped to 52/3 during the chase before a 79-run stand between Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman revived hopes. However, disciplined spells from Varun Chakaravarthy (2/37) and Arshdeep Singh (1/31) saw India restricting the visitors to 190/7, sealing a comfortable 48-run win and 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
