"A captain's job is not just to toss and manage the bowlers" - Former opener slams Suryakumar Yadav after IND vs SA 2025 2nd T20I

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has slammed Suryakumar Yadav for his repeated failures in T20Is. He highlighted that a captain, who is a specialist batter, primarily needs to score runs.

South Africa set India a 214-run target in the second T20I in New Chandigarh on Thursday, December 11. Suryakumar managed only five runs off four deliveries in the chase as the Men in Blue were bowled out for 162, losing the game by 51 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Suryakumar's job is not just to toss the coin and manage the team.

"You are the team's captain, but a captain's job is not just to toss and manage the bowlers. It's not just to make the strategy. If you bat in the top four, your primary role is to score runs," he said. (3:45)

Chopra highlighted that SKY, as Suryakumar is fondly called, hasn't been among the runs in T20Is both before and after IPL 2025.

"It's been many matches. If you have an average of 14 in 17 innings and the strike rate is also not very good, you don't have a single fifty, and have crossed 25 just twice, it's been a problem on either side of the IPL," he observed.

With 717 runs at an average of 65.18 in 16 innings, Suryakumar Yadav was the second run-getter in IPL 2025. However, the Mumbai Indians (MI) batter has struggled in T20Is this year, aggregating 201 runs at a paltry average of 14.35 in 17 innings.

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"I am not saying there is any doubt over Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy" - Aakash Chopra

Suryakumar Yadav (right) was appointed India's T20I captain after the 2024 T20 World Cup. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that there are no doubts about Suryakumar Yadav being India's captain in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but added that the unconventional batter needs to deliver with the bat.

"I am not saying there is any doubt over Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, or that he won't be India's captain in the World Cup. I am not suggesting that at all, so don't ever misquote me, but the truth is that he needs to score runs," he said. (4:15)

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Indian skipper and his deputy, Shubman Gill, need to start firing with the bat before the global event.

"If you are playing at No. 3 or No. 4 and are not scoring runs, and they aren't being scored consistently and over a long period of time, you won't be that confident when you start the World Cup. So Suryakumar Yadav, the captain, and Shubman Gill, the vice-captain, scoring runs is absolutely imperative," Chopra observed.

Shubman Gill, who too has had an indifferent run in T20Is in 2025, was dismissed for a golden duck in the second T20I against South Africa. Tilak Varma (62 off 34) was the only Indian player to score more than 30 runs in Thursday's game.