Suryakumar Yadav unable to deal with India captaincy burden? Wasim Jaffer says oppositions have discovered him out

Nothing to hide about it, Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t been performing ever since he became the India cricket team’s T20I captain. Some flourish when they get the leadership responsibility; others don’t. So where does SKY fall on the spectrum? Since being named Team India’s permanent skipper in July, Suryakumar has a 13-2 win/loss record and is yet to lose a series. But his batting hasn’t been great.

Being India captain, not working for Suryakumar Yadav?

So, is captaincy the reason for SKY’s struggles? His former Mumbai teammate Wasim Jaffer thinks that leadership isn’t why runs have dried up for the 360-degree batter. He understands that being a skipper adds on the responsibility, but according to him, that isn’t why Suryakumar is struggling at the moment.

“Yes, the dual responsibility does play a role. There’s no doubt about that. As a captain, you have to handle the team, motivate the players, deal with the support staff, go for the toss, keep players in the right frame of mind, manage team combinations, wins, and losses, speak to selectors, and handle a lot more. But when you’re not the captain, you just focus on your batting or bowling, and you focus solely on yourself,” Jaffer told the Times of India.

“He has done a good job as captain. He knows his role, and I am sure he has the clarity that he needs to lead this group of players ahead of the World Cup next year,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav stats in T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav too leg side dependent says Wasim Jaffer

Jaffer feels that Surya has become limited. His play down the ground or the offside isn’t that great, and from afar it doesn’t seem like he’s working on it. Being too dominant on the leg side means that the teams already know what he’s going to do. Form also plays a part, but being a one-dimensional player means that the opposition can plan for him much more easily than before.

“I wouldn’t say his form has dipped because of the captaincy. I think it’s more about his shot selection in one particular area. He looks to score on the leg side only. He has been scoring and dominating the areas between square leg and fine leg. That’s what I feel. He needs to address his offside shots as well,” Jaffer explained.

“Every team now knows how to bowl to Surya. They come with a specific plan and field against him. Everyone knows he hits the ball in that area only. He needs to address this by scoring in different areas. Sometimes, it seems like he has completely shut down his shots on the offside. He needs to look at his game and get it right. He’s picking the wrong ball to hit, and that’s why he’s getting out,” the former Mumbai batter said.