Asia Cup: Despite his success, Suryakumar Yadav's form has raised concerns for India. Is he facing the pressure of captaincy?

The Indian team has entered the final of the Asia Cup 2025 after winning five consecutive matches, remaining unbeaten. India qualified for the final by defeating Bangladesh in the Super Four stage match on Wednesday. The Indian team has performed exceptionally well in the current tournament, remaining unbeaten. India is achieving consistent success, but captain Suryakumar Yadav's form has raised concerns.

The innings faltered after Abhishek's dismissal.

India now faces Sri Lanka on Friday before the final. The team will look to assess both its strengths and weaknesses in this match, as the Suryakumar-led team will want to avoid making any mistakes so close to the title. With the bat, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill have provided the team with good starts in the last two matches. Abhishek has taken charge from the front, scoring two consecutive half-centuries. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has consistently failed to shine with the bat. In the match against Bangladesh, it was evident that India's run rate slowed down as soon as Abhishek was dismissed. Middle-order batsmen either returned cheaply or struggled to score runs.

Suryakumar's performance in the ongoing Asia Cup

Suryakumar has batted four times in the ongoing Asia Cup. He has scored 7, 47, 0, and 5 runs so far. He also struggled in the five-match T20 series against England earlier this year. He scored 28 runs at an average of 5.60 in that series, including two ducks. Suryakumar is considered an explosive T20 batsman, but his lack of form lately has caused unease in the Indian dressing room.

Indian team legend Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his opinion on the matter. He told a news channel, "It's important for a captain to come in and score some runs." Suryakumar came in at number four and was dismissed again playing the same shot. This is undoubtedly a very effective shot for him. But when you're struggling, you probably shouldn't play until you've fully understood the situation. Once you've settled in and scored 25 or 30 runs, you can play that shot.

Suryakumar's batting stats in T20Is as captain

Suryakumar's poor form has raised questions about whether the pressure of captaincy is affecting his batting. The stats bear this out. Suryakumar has captained India in 27 T20Is, scoring 617 runs at an average of 26.82, including one century and four half-centuries. On the other hand, without captaincy, Suryakumar has scored 2040 runs at an average of 43.40, including three centuries and 17 half-centuries. However, his record as captain is excellent, and the team is experiencing success under his leadership.