Former cricketer highlights Suryakumar Yadav’s struggles against Pakistan

Former Pakistan batter Bazid Khan believes India may have a potential weakness that Pakistan can exploit in the upcoming Asia Cup — Suryakumar Yadav’s inability to perform against the Men in Green.

Speaking on a local TV show, Bazid acknowledged Suryakumar’s ability to score freely against most opponents but pointed out that the Indian batter has consistently struggled against Pakistan.

“Suryakumar scores runs against almost everyone, but somehow, against Pakistan, he hasn’t been effective. Whether it is the pace attack or some other reason, it remains an issue,” Bazid said.

Yadav, who will be captaining India for the first time in a multi-nation tournament, faces additional pressure as he prepares to lead his side in high-stakes encounters such as the India-Pakistan clash and potential knockout fixtures in the Super Four and the final.

Despite being one of the most dominant T20 batters in recent years, the 33-year-old has struggled to make an impact against Pakistan. 

In five T20I innings against them, he has managed just 64 runs at an average of 12.80 and a strike rate of 118.51, with 18 being his highest score. Notably, he has yet to register a fifty or century against Pakistan.

His struggles have come across different conditions: spin-friendly tracks in Dubai during the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2022 Asia Cup, as well as pace-friendly surfaces in Melbourne (2022 T20 World Cup) and New York (2024 T20 World Cup).

In the Asia Cup specifically, Yadav’s returns are only marginally better — 31 runs from two innings at an average of 15.50 and a strike rate of 110.71.

Statistically, Pakistan remain the only side against whom Suryakumar has played more than five matches without averaging 30 or more. Even against England, where he averages 29.08, he maintains a remarkable strike rate of 171.92.

The upcoming Asia Cup will be India’s first T20I assignment since their home series against England in January. The eight-team tournament kicks off on September 9 with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong in the opening fixture.

Group A features arch-rivals Pakistan and India, along with UAE and Oman, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong.

India will begin their campaign against UAE in Dubai on September 10, followed by the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan on September 14, before rounding off the group stage against Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.

India's squad for the Asia Cup:

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy , Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson

Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal