Suryakumar Yadav addressed his poor form ahead of the NZ T20Is, backing his attacking style and confirming flexibility between No.3 and No.4. He said runs will come with time and confirmed Ishan Kishan will bat at No.3 in Tilak Varmaโs absence.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav has struggled to find rhythm in international cricket. He has scored only 34 runs in the last four matches and following this, the veteran has been put under the spotlight. His position in the T20 World Cup 2026 was questioned but the team management and the selectors backed him for the role, especially as Suryakumar has done a commendable job as captain.
Ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Suryakumar addressed concerns regarding his form, stating that he has been batting well in the nets and expects to get back to scoring runs soon. He mentioned playing an attacking brand ofcricket, as the Mumbai batter doesnโt want to change his identity as a batter and confirmed his batting position for the upcoming series and the World Cup.
โI’ve batted at both the positions for India, No. 3 and No. 4. I have slightly better numbers at No. 4. They are also good at No. 3. But we are flexible with that. We’ll see what the situation is when we play a game. If we have to send a right-hander, then I’ll walk in, otherwise Tilak has been doing really well at No. 3,โ Suryakumar said in the press conference.
โI’ve been batting really well, and also, talking about the runs, it will definitely come, but at the same time I can’t do things differently. I don’t want to change my identity. What has given me success in the past 3-4 years, I would like to bat the same way, and then if performance comes, I’ll take it. If it doesn’t come, I’ll go back to the drawing board, practise again, work hard, and come back stronger,โ he added.
Ishan Kishan to bat at number three
The 35-year-old also confirmed that Ishan Kishan will bat at number three in the New Zealand series, unless there’s a need for a right-handed batter in the middle. With Tilak Varma currently injured, owing to injury, Kishan will fill in and Shreyas Iyer will have to wait for his opportunity.