"We haven't seen him remain quiet in T20Is for so long" - Veteran spinner wants Suryakumar Yadav to score runs in IND vs ENG 2025 5th T20I

Veteran India spinner Piyush Chawla wants Suryakumar Yadav to be among the runs in the fifth T20I against England. He pointed out that the Indian captain has never had such a long underwhelming run previously.

The final T20I of the five-match series between India and England will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, February 2. Although Suryakumar hasn't yet fired in the series, the hosts have an unassailable 3-1 lead heading into Sunday's game.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Match Point,' Chawla was asked whether he expected India to post a 200-plus total at the Wankhede.

"We all know that runs are scored at the Wankhede but there is also help for the fast bowlers at the start there. So if you play the first five overs well, big runs are scored there. I don't know about 200, but I want to see Surya scoring runs," he replied.

"He is a very important player, he is the captain, and we haven't seen him remain quiet in T20Is for so long. The kind of phase he is going through at the moment, he needs one knock of 20 or 30 runs," Chawla added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that India will cross the 200-run mark if Suryakumar plays a substantial knock.

"His self-confidence will also grow and it will be good for the team as well. So no idea about the 200, but I will want to see runs from Surya's bat. However, if runs come from Surya's bat, the 200-run mark will anyway be touched because of the strike rate at which he bats," he observed.

Suryakumar Yadav has scored 26 runs at a paltry average of 6.50 in four innings in the ongoing T20I series against England. He has been dismissed for a duck on two occasions, including the last game in Pune.

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"If he plays 10 to 15 balls, the form will come back" - Suresh Raina on Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav has a top score of 21 in his last seven T20I innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India player Suresh Raina opined that Suryakumar Yadav will regain his form if he spends a little time at the crease.

"Piyush (Chawla) raised a very good point because Surya is doing very well as a captain. It's probably been seven innings where he has not shown his form. I feel if he plays 10 to 15 balls, the form will come back," he said.

The former all-rounder added that Sanju Samson also needed to get back to his run-scoring ways in the final T20I against England.

"It's the same for Sanju as well. It might work out at the Wankhede. The shots he is playing, he might middle the ball here and it might go out of the ground. So this match will be very important for both of them," Raina observed.

Samson has aggregated 35 runs at an average of 8.75 in four innings. All four of his dismissals in the ongoing series have been to short balls.