Why is it that almost inevitably, it’s always a batsman who’s made the captain of a cricket team? Historically, when cricket was first played by the British, there was a marked class divide. The ‘gentlemen’ (cricket is called the ‘gentleman’s game’ for a reason) were those who came from the higher classes of British society and played the game as amateurs. The professionals were those who were from the lower classes and played the game for money. The gentlemen were not used to putting in the hard yards, and so, were more often than not batsmen. Of course then, the captain had to be a ‘gentleman’.
This organically metamorphosed into the practice of the best batsman in a team being picked as the captain. The skipper’s position is a highly coveted one, and you can’t possibly offer it to anyone other than your best player – which, for most people, is the best batsman.
Why Surya Fit The Bill
Which is why when Suryakumar Yadav was made India’s T20i captain in July last year for the Sri Lanka tour, as a clear long-term option, it was not really a big surprise. Hardik Pandya was the vice-captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which India won, and had more experience in the captaincy department, but there were just far too many doubts over his sustained availability after Rohit Sharma retired from T20is and Surya became hands-down the best batter in the team. He was toying with the best bowlers in the world, hitting shots that will never be in any cricketing manual. He had picked up monikers like ‘India’s Mr. 360 degree’, thanks to his audacious around-the-wicket stroke play, won the ICC Men’s T20i Cricketer of the Year award in 2022 and 2023, was part of the ICC men’s T20i team of the year for both these years, and was generally accepted as the best T20i batsman in the world, as someone who was in the mould of the otherwise incomparable AB de Villiers.
Surya’s captaincy stint began on a good note too. He was the player of the series against the Lankans, with the team winning the series 3-0. His strike rate was almost 196.
Stretched Too Thin?
And then came the inevitable batting slump, though it also coincided with him taking on the heavy burden of Indian captaincy, full-time. Not only was he suddenly in charge of a team that had just won the World Cup, but he was now responsible for making sure that the momentum didn’t suffer, no matter what. India were head and shoulders above everyone else in T20i cricket, and it had to stay that way. Suddenly, the scope of his KRAs expanded. It was not just about going out and expressing himself freely—he had become the face of both Indian success and failure in T20 internationals. After the 3-match T20i series with Bangladesh at home, where Surya had scores of 29, 8 and 75, in the T20i series in South Africa in November last year, the new Indian skipper managed to make just 26 runs in three innings, with a highest score of 21. The average was under nine. No one was especially worried at this time though, because once again, India were absolutely dominant, thrashing the Proteas 3-1 in the four-match series.
A similar script was played out in the recently concluded five-match series with England at home. While Team India pretty much called the shots right through with a commanding 4-1 series win, the captain himself was struggling. Surya’s bat, which at one time was on fire, seemed to have been dipped in ice-cold water. A total of 28 runs in five innings, with two ducks and an average of under six. The trusty flick shot kept letting him down.
The Buck Stops With The Captain
So, just how worried is the team management currently? I recently spoke to Mumbai cricket legend and cricket advisor of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Milind Rege, and he asked the question, “Is the captaincy burden seeing Surya sacrifice his own batting potential?” The wording of the question made me ponder. It’s not a secret that a captain’s job is a tough one. Every single decision made on the field is the skipper’s call and responsibility. The buck stops with the captain.
Being India captain is universally recognised as the toughest job of them all. When MS Dhoni was asked about all the fame and money that came with the post, he retorted, “You forgot about the grey hair.” So, in the quest to maintain an unblemished record, is Surya the batsman sacrificing himself at the altar of T20i domination? And if so, is he getting the help he needs to regain both form and confidence?
Surya Must Take Stock
These are, of course, questions that only Surya and the team management can answer, but the timing of the sudden, rather sharp decline in form seems to definitely suggest that captaincy is taking a heavy toll on his batting. Every new captain goes through a period of adjustment—taking stock of what is working and what needs to be changed. In Surya’s case, he also began his regular captaincy stint having to start a new working relationship with a new coach in Gautam Gambhir.
Modern-day cricketers are conditioned to not let dips in form worry them too much. After all, no one who is prone to self-doubt can make it on the international stage. No one doubts the fact that Surya is a brilliant T20i batter, having moulded his game through hard work and backing it up with confidence. Playing scoop shots over the keeper’s head for boundaries off some of the most menacing fast bowlers in the world is not possible without complete and utter self-confidence. But is that free-thinking attitude, that uncluttered mind clouded now with captaincy responsibilities so much that he’s losing his Midas touch?
Let The Superhuman Nonchalance Back
This is where it’s imperative that he gets the unconditional support of the coach and team management—to help him dig himself out of the rut of the slump he finds himself in. His last ten T20i innings’ scores read: 8, 75, 21, 4, 1, 0, 12, 14, 0 & 2. Because he is captain, perhaps Surya is not able to focus as much as he would like to on his own batting prowess. But what about Surya? Are there areas he needs to work on himself, technically? Yes. After all, it is clear that most opposition bowlers seem to have studied his free-flowing style of batting and devised strategies to restrict him.
Surya the captain is doing a phenomenal job. His overall win percentage in T20is is almost 80, and after seniors like Virat, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja bid adieu to T20is, Surya is in many ways the perfect leader for a young Indian T20i side—someone who is not intimidating for the juniors and yet commands respect. An underperforming leader can become a selection headache, especially in a format that has just too many quality batting options to count. What Surya needs right now is support from the likes of Hardik and Sanju Samson, who have captaincy experience under their belts and can help him out with both his on and off-field captaincy duties. That, in turn, might clear up some mind space for Surya to focus on what he does best: take apart bowling attacks with almost superhuman nonchalance.
There is a T20 World Cup coming up again in a year’s time and Team India needs both its captain fantastic and best batsman to be firing on all cylinders.
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
