India captain Suryakumar Yadav might be the team's second-highest run-scorer in the 2026 edition of the T20 World Cup, but the right-handed batter has been given a reality check ahead of the final against New Zealand, scheduled to be played on Sunday, March 8, at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The seasoned campaigner has managed 242 runs in eight matches, with his highest score being 84 not out against the USA in the group stages. However, former India batter Aakash Chopra stated that the Indian skipper is yet to perform against the bigger teams in the competition, and it's high time that he comes into his own in the grand finale.
Chopra did say that Suryakumar is being unfairly targeted for not scoring consistently; however, he also said that the fact is that he has not been among the runs against the bigger teams, citing that he has only two half-centuries against the top eight sides in the world.
Ever since scoring 84 not out against the USA, Suryakumar's form has tapered off in the T20 World Cup 2026; however, the Men in Blue have not been troubled much, considering Sanju Samson's golden run. However, Chopra feels the time has come for the 35-year-old to show his class.
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"It’s slightly unfair at times. The opinions have become very sharp these days, and they are also starting to go deep. What goes in Surya’s favour is that he took India to a match-winning score from 77/6 in the first match. The 32-run knock against Pakistan came at a run-a-ball, but it was his best knock because that was required at that stage, or else India might not have been able to bat 20 overs,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}"It’s slightly unfair at times. The opinions have become very sharp these days, and they are also starting to go deep. What goes in Surya’s favour is that he took India to a match-winning score from 77/6 in the first match. The 32-run knock against Pakistan came at a run-a-ball, but it was his best knock because that was required at that stage, or else India might not have been able to bat 20 overs,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“However, it’s true that he hasn’t scored too many runs against big teams. This is his fifth World Cup. He has scored only two half-centuries against top 10 teams, one against South Africa at Perth and one against Afghanistan in the last World Cup,” he added.
Life comes full circle
Suryakumar made his T20I debut way back in 2021, and his first international game for India came at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, coincidentally the venue for the World Cup final against New Zealand.
Hence, Chopra believes that Surya's life can come full circle if he plays a match-winning knock against the Black Caps in the summit clash.
“Maybe in the final. His T20I career started from here only. He hit Jofra Archer for a six off his first ball with a Supla shot. So, hopefully, he will score a big one, although we saw him even demoting himself in the batting order in the last match as the spinners were bowling,” said Chopra.
"I am not saying that a 70-run knock needs to come, but a knock needs to come. That’s what I am hoping for," he concluded.
Suryakumar was woefully out of form last year, failing to hit a single half-century in T20Is. However, he struck back form and came into runs in the bilateral series against New Zealand earlier this year, and he would hope to continue his golden run against the Kiwis.