IND vs SA 2025: 'Not all T20 captains are able to do this' - Former India all-rounder applauds Suryakumar's captaincy ahead of 5th T20I

Published - 18 Dec 2025, 17:58 IST | Updated - 18 Dec 2025, 18:14 IST

2007 T20 World Cup winner Irfan Pathan said that the cricket fraternity hasn't celebrated Suryakumar Yadav's fantastic captaincy record for India enough. The fourth T20I between India and South Africa in Lucknow on Wednesday, December 17, was abandoned due to excessive fog. This result helped the Men in Blue maintain their unbeaten record in T20I series under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy.

The hosts have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, and South Africa's tour is set to conclude at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.

Pathan acknowledged the efforts of the South African team, admitting that they put India under pressure at various times during the series.

"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, Pathan, responded while discussing India's unbeaten T20I-series run under Suryakumar's leadership.

"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.

While Suryakumar has done brilliantly as a captain, the same cannot be said about his batting performance, especially in 2025. In 18 T20I innings this year, he has aggregated just 213 runs at an average of 14.20 and a strike rate of 125.29.

When questioned about Suryakumar's wretched form, Pathan said that the 35-year-old should look to give himself some time at the crease before going for his big shots.

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"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.

"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.