Suryakumar Yadav gets advice from Australian great ahead of T20 World Cup 2026, 'Trust yourself, back yourself'

Suryakumar Yadav is going through a lean period in his career in terms of scoring runs. Ever since he has taken on the T20I captaincy, his performance has dropped exponentially. Surprisingly, once considered one of the best T20I batters, SKY has just scored 201 runs in 17 innings at an average of 14.35. He batted at a strike rate of 126.41 and his highest score this season his 47. 

Despite being India's skipper, the drop in SKY's performance has been a huge concern for the team and it has become quite evident now. All experts are seemed to be invested in SKY's scorecard, performance, and the fact that he hasn't scored a single half-century this year. Amidst the chaos, Australia's former cricketer Ricky Ponting has suggested the batter to 'trust himself'. 

"He plays all of his shots and backs himself, and a bit like Travis Head, where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out. That’s why I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out. Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again," said Ponting. 

Can Suryakumar Yadav make strong comeback in T20 World Cup 2026?

The T20 World Cup 2026 is just a month away and Suryakumar yadav will get just one more 3-match T20I series against New Zealand to pull up his socks and start performing. Despite the World Cup being hosted by India, the pressure will be immense and that is likely to consume the players, especially the skipper since he is not in good shape. 

SKY's performance in the top order or middle order will be extremely helpful to India in the marquee event and if they want to win the tournament, the skipper will have to perform. Hence, the upcoming series will be intriguing to watch for the viewers. 

Where to watch IND vs NZ matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs New Zealand matches from January 11 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Former India bowler blames Test series loss against SA on Kohli-Rohit transition, makes eye-opening claim