Robin Uthappa weighed in on Suryakumar Yadav’s ongoing form and leadership dilemma, suggesting the Indian T20I skipper needs clarity in his batting role and shouldn’t bat below number 4. The stylish batter rediscovered his touch in the rain-hit opening T20I against Australia on Wednesday. Though the match ended without a result, his unbeaten 39 was a major positive for India. Coming off a lean patch, including struggles during the Asia Cup, his composed 24-ball knock in Canberra silenced many critics.
Uthappa believes Suryakumar is best suited at No. 3, a position that could help him regain rhythm and confidence with the bat.
“It’s like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place because it’s a decision where you need to see your performances and manage your captaincy as well. So it’s a very difficult decision to make. However, I feel he should come in one position. In my opinion, there is no better position than No. 3 for Suryakumar in T20 cricket,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
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Suryakumar, who had been struggling with a strike rate below 110 and just 100 runs in 2025, offered a glimpse of his old brilliance, effortlessly lifting a Josh Hazlewood delivery over the square-leg boundary — a reminder of his world No.1 T20 pedigree.
“Suryakumar Yadav shouldn’t come below No. 4”
The former opener stressed the need for stability at the top order and warned against pushing the star batter too low in the lineup, which could disrupt his natural rhythm and impact.
“If the top three gets set, you can bring flexibility after that. You can bring left-right combinations. In the Asia Cup, they probably decided that Tilak Varma would come at No.3 if a left-hander got out and Surya would come if a right-hander got out. That’s still alright, but Suryakumar Yadav shouldn’t come below No. 4. A top-order batter has to make a lot of adjustments if he has to bat below No. 4,” he added.
In the abandoned match on Wednesday, Gill and Yadav at least entertained the Manuka Oval crowd by smashing 54 runs in 4.4 overs before the rain swept over the Australian capital again.
The second game in the five-match series is on Friday in Melbourne, where both teams will continue finetuning strategies for the T20 World Cup in India next year.
