The Indian T20 captain has been struggling for runs in recent outings. India has continued to dominate under his leadership, but Suryakumar’s individual form with the bat has been below expectations.

Still, the upcoming first T20I against New Zealand presents him with a golden chance to turn things around and etch his name into the record books.

Big records within reach

Suryakumar Yadav is just 212 runs away from becoming only the third Indian to score 3,000 runs in T20 internationals, after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

He currently has 2,788 T20I runs to his name.

With a five-match series against New Zealand ahead, he will be eager to rediscover his rhythm and reach the landmark.

In overall T20 cricket (IPL included), Suryakumar is also on the brink of another milestone. He needs just 25 more runs to complete 9,000 runs in T20s, which would make him the fourth Indian to do so after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan.

Beyond records, Suryakumar’s biggest challenge is finding his lost form. His recent returns have been modest, managing only 44 runs across his last four T20 matches.

With T20 World Cup 2026 approaching, questions around his batting have surfaced.

However, the team management and BCCI have continued to back him, and now the responsibility lies on him to justify that trust.

Despite his batting struggles, Suryakumar’s captaincy has been impressive. India is yet to lose a T20 series under his leadership. His focus will be on maintaining that winning momentum while building a settled unit for major tournaments ahead.

For context, Virat Kohli leads the all-time T20 run charts with 13,543 runs, followed by Rohit Sharma (12,248) and Shikhar Dhawan (9,797).

Suryakumar currently sits fourth with 8,975 runs, closing in fast on the elite list.

Suryakumar currently sits fourth with 8,975 runs, closing in fast on the elite list.