"Not all T20 captains are able to do this" - Irfan Pathan lauds Suryakumar Yadav ahead of IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I

Former India player Irfan Pathan has opined that Suryakumar Yadav isn't appreciated for his captaincy as much as he should be. He highlighted that very few captains have a winning percentage as good as the Indian T20I skipper.

The fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series between India and South Africa, supposed to be played in Lucknow on Wednesday (December 17), was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to fog. The hosts enjoy a 2-1 lead heading into the final game in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about India continuing their unbeaten T20I-series run under Suryakumar after the no-result in Lucknow.

"That's why I say repeatedly that we don't celebrate Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy as much as we should. We have celebrated his batting a lot. He definitely lacks form in batting currently, but this 83% result in captaincy is extremely special," the former India all-rounder responded.

"Not all T20 captains are able to do this. So, very well done to Suryakumar, and it's not like South Africa didn't put pressure. They put pressure in this series. You made a comeback in the last match after being put under pressure," he added.

Irfan Pathan pointed out that he sees Suryakumar Yadav as a bowler's captain. He added that Team India also have a great dressing room atmosphere under Suryakumar's leadership, highlighting that the entire team goes to watch movies or play paintball together.

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"He has to counter that" - Irfan Pathan on Suryakumar Yadav's lean run ahead of IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I

Suryakumar Yadav hasn't scored a T20I half-century in 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan was asked about Suryakumar Yadav's lean run with the bat in 2025 and the ongoing series against South Africa.

"What has been Suryakumar's strength? He plays very well square of the wicket. He doesn't move his feet much against fast bowlers. Teams are trying to work him out a little more. They are not bowling at one pace. They are using the slower ones a lot. So he has to counter that," he responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the unconventional batter needs to spend some time at the crease before playing his favorite shots.

"Secondly, a pattern is being seen that he is going to his favorite shots too much and too early. Can he wait a little longer before playing his favorite shots? Play straight for some time. You might ask him to take his feet forward against fast bowlers. He hasn't done that for so many years. How will he do it now as the World Cup is about to come?" Pathan elaborated.

To conclude, Irfan Pathan noted that the positive thing for Suryakumar Yadav is that he has a certain place in the XI as the captain. He added that SKY, as Suryakumar is fondly called, should consistently bat at No. 3 for a few matches if he is comfortable against the new ball before dropping down to No. 4 if required.