Suryakumar Yadav returned to form in style during the second T20I between India and New Zealand in Raipur. The match was played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Friday, January 23. India chased down a huge target of 209 runs in just 15.2 overs. They won the game by seven wickets.
Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 82 off just 37 balls. This was his first international half-century since October 2024. His innings came at the right time for India. There were serious concerns about his poor form in T20 cricket. He had finished 2025 with a very low average of 13.62. In 2026, however, he has looked much better. He scored 32 off 22 balls in the first T20I and followed it up with this match-winning knock.
Sunil Gavaskar Praises Suryakumar Yadav’s Mature Knock
India were in early trouble during the chase. Both openers were dismissed within the first seven balls. Suryakumar walked in under pressure. Ishan Kishan then played aggressively and took most of the strike. In his first 10 balls, Suryakumar scored only 10 runs. He then exploded in the eighth over. He smashed 25 runs off Zakary Foulkes and changed the game completely.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Suryakumar Yadav‘s approach.
“He was on 11 off 11 deliveries. So in that partnership of 122, 76 were scored by Ishan Kishan, but that also shows the skipper’s maturity. Here was another man who was batting so well, so he was giving him more of the strike as well as getting his eye in, and therefore getting himself ready for the big push. Once Ishan Kishan got out, he was the one who took the initiative and started punching the ball, and besides everything else, the driving through the off side was the big plus because that means that he’s looking to play straight as much as possible. Then once you’ve got that, this shot can come into play. That was a fabulous innings and a big boost for the Indian team on the eve of the World Cup,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports.
Gavaskar also spoke about Suryakumar changing his mindset.
“Yes, it’s a mindset thing because, look, he started his T20 career with that scoop shot for a six off Jofra Archer. So you might think that this is the shot that is giving me all the runs, but no. When you look to play straight down the pitch – and Simon just mentioned that the on drive wasn’t the easiest of shots to play – but he played it so well, with so much time and freedom. It gives you that feeling as a batter when the ball hits the middle of the bat. You just feel that much more confident, and you could see his confidence grow with every ball that he spent at the crease,” he added.
The innings has given India a big boost ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
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