Suryakumar Yadav, who occupies the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I batting rankings, is enduring a lean patch lately.

The dashing right-hander entered the IPL 2023 on the back of a forgettable ODI series against Australia at home. He was dismissed for three successive golden ducks in the 50-over series, which the visitors won 2-1 last month.

Surya hasn’t looked in good rhythm in Mumbai Indians’ first two games in the ongoing IPL season so far, registering scores of 15(16) and 1(2) against RCB and CSK respectively.

Amid the struggles, former India coach Ravi Shastri has advised Suryakumar Yadav to be more patient early in his knock.

“There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel, he’s going to be seeing that very soon,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

“And when he sees that, he’s going to grab it and make the most of it.

“So the advice to him would be just give yourself a little bit of time early on, even though it’s T20 cricket.”

Known for his wide range of strokes, Suryakumar tends to attack right from the word go but Shastri suggested him to find his feet at the crease.

"One good hit and you're on your way. That's what he needs - one good hit, and a little bit of time at the crease. Not 20-30 minutes, maybe six balls or eight balls, and I think he'd be fine," he remarked.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher has backed Suryakumar Yadav to regain his form sooner than later.

"Surya is an extremely talented cricketer, one of the world's best T20 players, if not the best. He has not had the weight of runs of late but he is a fantastic player. Hope he can come good for us in the near future. I don't want to put too much pressure on him. We'll back him and try set him some new challenges to get his mind off his own game if that's what will help him to try get some good form going into the middle and end stages of the tournament," Boucher said.