Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke reckons there was hardly any doubt regarding Suryakumar Yadav regaining his lost form ahead of the T20 World Cup. Barring a rough run in 2025, Yadav has been a consistent performer in the shortest format of the game.
Ahead of the T20I series against New Zealand, SKY had scored just 244 runs at an average of 12.84 and had a top score of 47 in the last 22 innings. However, the right-hander was able to turn his form, scoring 82 runs in the second game and backing it up with another good knock of 57 runs in the third T20I against the Kiwis.
SKY top-scored with 242 runs in five matches of the series at an average of 80.67 and a blistering strike rate of 196.75. Thus, the Indian captain was awarded Player of the Series for his consistent performances.
Michael Clarke said on RevSportz, “It’s a huge advantage, no doubt. But it’s cricket; you can’t make runs every time you walk out and bat. He’s an unbelievable player, certainly in this format. It’s surely an advantage that he’s back in form. But yeah, I don’t think there was any doubt that he was going to be able to turn it around. T20 cricket is probably the hardest format in which to find form again because you don’t really have time.”
“In T20 cricket, no matter if you’re in form or out of form, making runs or not making runs, you’ve got to look to score straight away. And again, for players, when you get to a certain age and when you become a leader or captain, you can flick a switch because you have the experience. And being a captain, you definitely want to win these big tournaments.”
On the other hand, the 2015 World Cup-winning captain said Abhishek Sharma is ready to shine in all three formats of the game.
“I said about 12 months ago that Abhishek Sharma is ready for all three formats. And that’s easy to say, but there’s got to be an available spot to be able to walk in and play. What I mean is he’s good enough, certainly talented, and knows his game well enough to adapt to Test cricket, one-day cricket, and T20 cricket; it’s just a matter of time,” said Clarke (via the aforementioned source).
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
