"Is Suryakumar Yadav's T20I form a concern?" - Aakash Chopra on SKY heading into IND vs SA 2024 4th T20I

Aakash Chopra has questioned whether Suryakumar Yadav's form is a concern heading into the fourth T20I between India and South Africa. He noted that the Indian skipper has lacked his usual consistency this year.

India will face South Africa in the final T20I of the four-match series in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15. The visitors, who have a 2-1 lead, will hope to end an immensely successful year in the shortest format with another series win.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener questioned whether Suryakumar's recent underwhelming performances are a problem.

"Is Suryakumar Yadav's T20I form a concern? Why are people asking the question about whether it is a problem? Let's go through his numbers. In 2021, he had an average of 34 and a strike rate of 155. He played just 11 innings. In 2022, Suryakumar Yadav scored 1164 runs at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 187. Well played Surya," he said (6:40).

Chopra noted that SKY, as he is fondly called, has averaged much less in 2024 than in the last three years.

"In 2023, he scored 733 runs at an average of nearly 49, and there too he has a strike rate of 155. Well played Surya. However, in 2024, it's been 17 innings, in which he has scored just 429 runs. The strike rate is still above 150 but the average has become 26.8. He has scored four half-centuries for sure but it is not the same old Surya in terms of the averages," he observed.

Suryakumar has aggregated 26 runs at a paltry average of 8.67 in his three hits in the ongoing series against South Africa. He scored a 17-ball 21 in the series opener and has been dismissed for 4 and 1, respectively, in the last two games.

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"That was another problem" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav's unavailability at the start of IPL 2024

Suryakumar Yadav had the second-best batting average for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Suryakumar Yadav performed decently in IPL 2024. However, he added that his injury-enforced absence at the start of the year was an issue.

"If there is a problem and if we see it in a slightly more expanded form, you will find that he played well in the IPL. Suryakumar Yadav scored 345 runs, which included a century, at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 167 in 11 innings, which is not bad in T20s. He was injured at the start and wasn't playing. That was another problem," he said (7:35).

While observing that he won't complain too much about Suryakumar's form, the reputed commentator urged the Indian captain to score at least a half-century in Friday's game.

"I will not make much hue and cry about the form. He has scored slightly fewer runs. He hasn't scored runs in this series thus far. Interestingly enough, it's very rare that he plays an entire series and doesn't score even one fifty. You can count those instances with the fingers on one hand. This series is one of those. He will have to change that this evening so that this question is totally negated," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra noted that a captain's decisions can go weak at times if he isn't among the runs. He added that Suryakumar's imprint should be visible when India have started moving towards a new era in T20I cricket.