India head coach Gautam Gambhir has publicly stood by captain Suryakumar Yadav despite the batter’s recent downturn in T20I cricket. Suryakumar has been unable to replicate his earlier performance since topping the T20I rankings, posting just two fifties in the last month as well as a string of low scores in the last year.
T20Is haven’t been affected by this, though, with India under Suryakumar’s stewardship doing wonders in the format, winning all bilateral series comfortably and claiming the Asia Cup in September, when no opposition team came near challenging their superiority.
Ahead of India’s first T20I against Australia, Gambhir expressed that he is unfazed by Suryakumar’s personal form, stressing the team’s commitment to an ultra-aggressive brand of cricket. He also highlighted the strength and depth of India’s batting lineup, pointing to Abhishek Sharma’s consistent performances over the past year.
“Honestly, Surya’s batting form doesn’t concern me because we have committed to an ultra-aggressive template in our dressing room. When you embrace this philosophy, failures are inevitable. It would be easy for Surya to score 40 runs off 30 balls and avoid criticism, but we have collectively decided that it’s acceptable to fail while pursuing this approach,” Gambhir said.
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“Abhishek is in great nick and took that forward in the Asia Cup. Once Surya gets into rhythm, he will accept responsibility accordingly. In T20 cricket, it is not about scores of a particular individual but the style and influence of cricket we are playing. With our attacking game, batsmen may miss more frequently, but the overall influence is more important than mere runs,” Gambhir clarified.
India are preparing for a five-match T20I tour of Australia as part of their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup, then series against South Africa and New Zealand leading into hosting the global event.
