Though India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is struggling with his form, former India off-spinner and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team member Harbhajan Singh reckons the Mumbai man is saving his best for the upcoming T20 World Cup that begins on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar, 35, who has represented the country in 99 T20Is, scoring 2788 runs, has four centuries to his name in the shortest format. However, his last half-century (75 vs Bangladesh at Hyderabad in October 2024) came 23 innings ago.
“He [Suryakumar] may be saving it [big runs] for the World Cup. Surya is a class player. There is no doubt about it. I still believe he’s probably the No. 1 player in this format. People often talk about how great [former South Africa captain] AB de Villiers is, but we have our own guy who does the same job. And I back him to come good for India in this World Cup, not just as a captain, but as a batter. I’m hoping for some big runs from him,” Harbhajan, who has claimed 711 international wickets in 367 international games for India, told reporters on the sidelines of an event announcing the partnership between Mumbai Indians and Malaysia Airlines on Wednesday.
Harbhajan, who led MI to their first title, the 2012 Champions League, also played a key role in India’s triumph at the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, claiming seven wickets. According to him, playing a big tournament like the T20 World Cup in front of their home crowd is a big plus for the Indian team. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team beat South Africa by seven runs to win the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bridgetown.
“Playing international cricket itself is pressure. It doesn’t matter where you play. It’s a blessing to play in front of your home crowd, in your backyard. You know your conditions better than the others, and the support you get is unbelievable.
“Wherever the Indian team plays in the world, at times, it does feel like we are playing in India. But the support at we get at home is totally different. I hope that our team will play well here. I think this team has got everything. You see the batting line-up, the bowling line-up, and on top of that, every player is in their own league. All are match-winners. We hope this trophy stays in India,” concluded Harbhajan.
Four
No. of single-digit scores for Suryakumar Yadav in his last 10 T20I innings
