Former India pacer Vinay Kumar has a suggestion for Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7.
India will start their World Cup campaign on the opening day of the tournament against the USA cricket team. Ahead of the contest, Yadav’s recent form remains a reason to be concerned for the Indian team management.
Suryakumar Yadav struggled with form in 2025
Suryakumar Yadav is one of the most prolific batters in the entire world. He was even the most consistent batter for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2025 season. But for Team India, 2025 was a tough year for the middle order.
According to Vinay Kumar, to regain his form, Suryakumar should consider himself as a top-order batter instead of placing himself somewhere in the middle order.
Kumar asks Suryakumar Yadav to change batting position
Kumar reckoned that batting position is one of the most important things for a batter. As a skipper, Yadav has been trying to push the emerging players or the newcomers in the team to bat ahead of him, which has pushed Yadav’s batting position behind.
For Kumar, Yadav is a prominent top-order batter, mostly a number 3 batter in the Twenty20 format. So, batting at number 4 or even deeper in the order will not work for him. The former cricketer suggested Yadav must bat in the top order in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand before the T20 World Cup 2026.
“It is important for any player to bat at his best position. Surya plays well in the top order. But as a captain, he has to give others the cushion and take the hit. Your role is not easy as a captain. You have to put others in the front, give them the cushion, and somewhere you take the hit. But this bilateral series is not like the World Cup. It is important to play in your best place,” Vinay Kumar said during an interaction on Star Sports.
A probable Playing XI, Suryakumar Yadav as No. 3 batter
Kumar outlined a batting order for India that he felt could be most effective during the T20 World Cup 2026 matches. As Shubman Gill is not in the T20I squad, Vinay Kumar selected Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma as the openers and Suryakumar Yadav as the number three batter, followed by Tilak Varma at the number four spot.
As Varma’s participation from the beginning of the tournament is not sure, Kumar keeps Shreyas Iyer as the second option for the fourth position. Kumar also stated that Gill’s absence can be the best opportunity for Yadav to push himself up in the batting order.
“Maybe that is a reason why Shubman Gill is not in the team. If Gill is not there, the probability of Surya playing at three increases. Sanju can open with Abhishek, Surya can come at three, and Tilak at four. If Tilak is not fit, then Shreyas can take his spot”, Kumar said.
“I think any player will think about when they got success, at which number they batted, how they batted, and what the mindset was. I think he will consider all this and choose the number. There is no scope for mistakes in the T20 World Cup.”
Read More: Shreyas Iyer named best replacement for Tilak Varma; Suryakumar Yadav handed fixed batting position
