BGT-winning captain gives 'Suryakumar Yadav reality check' to Gautam Gambhir: "Didn’t have a good series…"

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy-winning captain, Ajinkya Rahane, has given a 'Suryakumar Yadav reality check' to the India National Cricket Team head coach, Gautam Gambhir.

Ajinkya Rahane has highlighted the performance of the India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav in the previous series against England at home, where he struggled to get going.

Suryakumar Yadav's Horror Run In England T20Is

Team England toured India for a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series earlier in the year before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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The Men In Blue comprehensively crushed the English team and won the ODI series 3-0 and the T20I series 4-1. However, T20I skipper Suryakumar had a horrible run in the series.

He started off with a duck and followed with scores of 12 and 14 in the two matches. In the fourth T20I, Suryakumar again bagged a duck and finished the series with a score of 2.

Overall, the former World No.1 batsman scored just 28 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 116.66. He faced heavy criticism after the flop show, but the batter managed to silence his critics with his heroics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

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The Mumbai Indians (MI) batter looked in unbelievable form and slammed 717 runs in 16 innings at an amazing average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91. He showed unreal consistency as he breached the 25-run mark in all of his innings.

We all know Surya is a dangerous batter - Ajinkya Rahane

Suryakumar Yadav's next challenge is the Asia Cup 2025. He will be leading India in the continental tournament and will be aiming to capture his first mega title as the skipper.

Speaking on his official YouTube channel ahead of the competition, the out-of-favor India batsman Ajinkya Rahane said that Suryakumar Yadav is a dangerous batsman, but was skeptical of his performance in the Asia Cup 2025. He explained:

"Didn't have a good series against England, but came back to form in IPL with five fifties and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with a healthy strike rate. We all know Surya is a dangerous batter. In this format, he has done really well. But it will be interesting to see how he goes about his batting, especially after the surgery."

As a captain, he has been fantastic - Ajinkya Rahane

Suryakumar Yadav replaced Rohit Sharma as the India T20I skipper after the latter announced his retirement from the format.

Since taking over the top job, Suryakumar has done a fantastic job as a captain and guided India to 17 wins in 22 matches, with a win percentage of 77.27.

Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane further lauded Suryakumar's leadership but urged him to step up with the bat in the Asia Cup. He said:

"As a captain, he has been fantastic. He is a proactive captain, led the team really well in the past, but I feel, in this Asia Cup, his batting will be really important."