Why Suryakumar Yadav remains India’s untouchable T20 superstar

Suryakumar Yadav’s recent T20I form raised eyebrows, with the stylish batter averaging just 12.84 over 25 innings from November 2024 to December 2025. A stark contrast to the previous three years, when Surya dominated the shortest format for Team India, scoring at a phenomenal average of 42.40 with a strike rate of 169.48, making him one of the most explosive batters the game has seen.

Suddenly, the runs dried up. Despite insisting he felt in form, the scoreboard didn’t reflect it. Critics questioned not only his place in the team but also his role as India’s captain in T20s. With the T20 World Cup 2026 approaching, all eyes were on whether Surya could regain his touch.

The answer came quickly. Back-to-back blazing innings against New Zealand – a 37-ball 82 in Guwahati and a 26-ball 57 in Visakhapatnam – reminded fans why he is considered India’s T20 superstar. But even at his lowest, dropping him was never truly on the cards. Former Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel explained that selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir had complete faith in him.

According to Munaf, Suryakumar’s importance to T20 cricket is comparable to what Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli represent in ODIs and Tests. “Suryakumar is Suryakumar. In the same way you trust Rohit in ODIs and Virat in Tests, you back Surya in T20s. A player is only dropped when everything fails. But when you’re winning, you protect your stars,” Munaf said.

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India’s dominance even during Surya’s lean patch reinforced the selectors’ stance. Munaf added, “If the team was losing consistently, it might have been a different story. But when victories keep coming, you give him backing. He is a legend of this format and has the ability to produce innings that make you forget any past failures.”

In short, Suryakumar Yadav remains untouchable in T20Is - a 360-degree batter whose talent and impact are beyond question, making him arguably India’s greatest ever in the shortest format.