Suryakumar Yadav makes blunt remark on ODI cricket comeback after T20 World Cup 2026 triumph

India national cricket team T20 International captain Suryakumar Yadav made a strong statement about his struggles in ODI cricket after the victory in the T20 World Cup 2026. The middle-order batter said he never fully understood the one-day international format because it requires batting versatility.

Suryakumar last played an ODI for the Men in Blue during the 2023 World Cup. The right-handed batter has scored 773 runs in 37 matches at an average of 25.77 and a strike rate of 105.03, including four half-centuries. The team management had selected him to play the crucial lower-order finishing role.

That Is One Format I Never Understood - Suryakumar Yadav on ODI Cricket

Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Suryakumar Yadav emphasized that in ODIs, batters must shift gears between traditional defensive techniques and aggressive hitting depending on the match situation.

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“I feel that as much as I have experienced ODI cricket closely and I have seen it, it is a format where you have to bat in three different ways. Sometimes, if you go in early, if wickets fall quickly, then you have to bat like Test cricket," Suryakumar said.

"Then you have to bat with a good strike rate, like in a one-day, and then later at the end of the innings, you have to bat like you do in T20 format. So, that is one format that I never understood. I tried my best to play it. But then it’s a challenging format,” he added.

What Is Written in Your Life, You Get That Only - Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav said that his cricket journey has been shaped by circumstances. He stated that he tried to perform well in ODIs, but success did not come the same way it did in T20 cricket. He added that the T20 format suits his style the most, and he has become successful in it.

“…what is written in your life, you get that only. I started with red-ball cricket itself, played Ranji Trophy for 10-12 years. I played a lot of red-ball cricket in Bombay because if you grow up in Bombay, you start with red ball itself, so everything is around red ball," Surya opined.

"But gradually, when we started playing white ball cricket, the inclination shifted a bit towards that. And after that, I came to this format (T20). I also tried a lot in One-Day cricket to play well in it, but nothing happened there."

"T20 mein jaisa chal raha tha, usme apna haath set ho gaya hai, aisa bol sakte hain (The way T20 was working out for me, I had become good at it; you can say that)," he added.

Suryakumar Yadav’s Last ODI Came in the 2023 World Cup Final

Suryakumar Yadav last played an ODI during the 2023 World Cup final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India lost the summit clash by six wickets, as Pat Cummins led the Australia national cricket team to their record-extending sixth World Cup title.

Suryakumar Yadav could not make a big impact in that match. He scored 18 runs from 28 balls before Josh Hazlewood dismissed him in the 48th over.

Suryakumar later returned to the same venue and won the 2026 T20 World Cup with India. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain. Gill is still waiting for his first series win after defeats against Australia and New Zealand.

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