Varun Aaron pulls no punches on Suryakumar Yadav: "Really needs some runs"

The Indian T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, has not managed to convince anyone with his batting performance over the last 18 games. He has averaged below 15 and has also marked a serious dip in his captaincy. Varun Aaron has opined that he needs some runs ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup.

India will be playing their final match in the South Africa home series, as they already lead the series by a margin of 2-1. However, the Proteas would not give up easily, especially after the last game was cancelled due to extreme fog on the ground.

The South Africa series holds special importance for the Indian side, as it marked the return of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and also because the teams are preparing for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, and the series holds special significance due to it.

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"If Suryakumar Yadav scores runs, there will be a huge change in confidence," opines Varun Aaron

India have been winning games, but the Indian skipper is not contributing with the bat. This has been the only standout concern for the Indian team ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. Many have opined that Shubman Gill's form is less of a concern than Surya's, as the captain is irreplaceable.

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron has opined that Suryakumar should finally get some runs under his belt, which will only boost his confidence ahead of the World Cup.

“I think Suryakumar Yadav is going to be focusing on getting runs because he really needs some runs under his belt. If Suryakumar Yadav scores runs, there will be a huge change in confidence because runs haven’t come from his bat for a long time, and even from Shubman Gill’s bat,” Aaron said on Star Sports.

“These two are key batters in our setup when we talk about the T20 World Cup, and if they score runs, the Indian team will remain absolutely bullet-proof,” Aaron added.

“If you have an 83 percent win record as a captain, you know that you are doing a lot of things right" - Varun Aaron

However, everyone who has criticized Suryakumar Yadav's poor form with the bat has praised his stunning resolve as the skipper of the Indian team. Under Suryakumar Yadav's leadership, India have not lost a bilateral series and have a win percentage of 83%.

Varun Aaron also opined that when a skipper manages to win 83% of the games, he has most obviously done something right, especially given the situation that the two greatest players from the team have retired recently.

“It just shows that you have great cricket acumen, and you also have the confidence of the boys. Yes, Suryakumar Yadav is not scoring the runs we would love him to score, but I think he will come good at the right time,” Aaron observed.

Suryakumar Yadav only has 6 T20Is left ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup

Going into the ICC T20 World Cup, Team India and Suryakumar Yadav have just 6 matches left. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India in the final T20I against South Africa and also in 5 more matches in the shortest format of the game against New Zealand.

Varun Aaron, who feels Surya is just an innings away from getting his form back, has observed that the Indian skipper was not carrying his weak patch in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“It’s not like Suryakumar Yadav is totally out of form. If you see his Mushtaq Ali numbers, he had an average of 41 and a healthy strike rate there. I feel he is just one inning away from finding his form,” he stated after Suryakumar Yadav managed those 165 runs for Mumbai in the SMAT 2025, just before the South Africa series.

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