Cricketer-turned-expert Wasim Jaffer has stated that T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav's returns since taking over captaincy from Rohit Sharma in 2024 are very concerning ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 event. The veteran has played 15 T20Is since being captain on a full-time basis. He first led in a bilateral T20 series against Sri Lanka, wherein he scored just 92 runs in three matches.
Later, Surya amassed 112 runs in a home T20 series against Bangladesh. However, after that, it has been a steep downward decline as he had a dismal back-to-back series against South Africa and England. During a 3-1 away T20 series win against South Africa last year, the Mumbai player scored only 26 runs. While he struggled against a home T20 series against England, scoring just 28 runs earlier this year. Overall, the right-hand batter has scored 258 runs in 15 innings at a poor average of 17.2 since being the skipper in T20Is.
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Jaffer said that the lack of runs as the leader and his average shot selection are main factors of concern leading up to the Continental Cup 2025 event in the UAE.
“His numbers dropping (while leading India) is a worry. Him not getting the runs is a concern. In the last few internationals he played, he was looking to score mostly behind square on the leg side. His shot selection was not up to the mark. But he has since worked on his game, and as we saw, he was a completely different player in the IPL. He started scoring on the offside as well. When Suryakumar Yadav plays shots all around the wicket, there’s not much the bowlers can do. He is very dangerous. Then there isn’t margin for the bowlers. He has done well in the IPL; hopefully, that should continue," Wasim Jaffer told the Times of India.
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Surya bounced back after the poor T20 series against England by being the highest run-scorer for MI in the IPL 2025 season. He scored a whopping 717 runs and was the second-highest run-scorer overall this IPL season.
It does not mean that the leader is under threat - Jaffer on Surya's captaincy equation with Shubman Gill
As far as Team India's transition in T20Is is concerned, it received a major boost as Test skipper Shubman Gill was formally appointed deputy to Surya. The 26-year-old has been projected to lead India across all formats for the long run, leaving SKY's position as leader in jeopardy after a decent start to his captaincy.
However, Jaffer stated Gill's appointment as vice-captain in T20Is will not hamper Surya's position as leader, and in fact, it will be an asset.
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"Every tour, every series, you have a vice-captain. It doesn’t mean the captain is under threat. Selectors have made it clear — Bumrah can’t play every series, so he’s out. Hardik? They’re not looking at him for now. That leaves Shubman and maybe Shreyas when he’s back. “On the contrary, experienced heads like Hardik, Bumrah, and Shubman will only help in crunch moments. But at the end of the day, Surya must make the tough calls," Wasim Jaffer said.
India will kick off their Continental Cup campaign against hosts UAE on Wednesday, September 10.
