Suryakumar and self doubt - what the Indian captain needs to do to get his touch back

Suryakumar Yadav's form is a big concern heading into the World Cup. (Photo: AP)

Sport is all about planning and execution. Lean patches are a part of it and Surya Kumar Yadav will know it well. His lean trot has continued longer than expected and for India’s world cup campaign we need the captain back to run scoring mode as soon as possible. When things aren’t going your way, the only option to get things right is to spend time in the middle.

Practice isn’t the same as game time out in the middle and at times the wait can get acutely frustrating for the performer in question. In his mind he is doing everything possible. He is batting well at the nets and yet when things come to a pass, they are not working out. Having watched Surya at the nets in Dubai during the Asia Cup, I had no doubt he was timing the ball well. Yet in match situations things did not go well for him. That’s what brings me to the one match in question where I think it was an opportunity lost.

I am talking about the India versus Oman match in the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi. India was batting first and Shubman Gill was out early opening up an opportunity for Surya to come out and get some valuable batting time in the middle. Unfortunately that did not happen. India lost 8 wickets in the batting innings and yet Surya did not come out to bat.

While it is understandable that the Indians wanted everyone to get a hit and it is also understandable that no one could have anticipated Surya’s lack of form to continue for as long, it is also a reminder that every opportunity needs to be made use of. Surya could have stepped out to bat and one good innings could have changed things. Sadly for India it did not happen. The captain did field and it clearly wasn’t an injury issue. The sport has a very unique way of reminding us of our responsibilities and this match can be deemed as one such.

Going forward Surya will have a good 15 days now to get his touch back. He might also opt to doing some visualisation for elite international sport is also in the mind. Let me give the example of Kenny Bednarek from a very different sport. Kenny versus Noah Lyles is the story of men’s athletics at the moment. Add Tebogo to it and you have the three best. While Noah has had the better of Kenny, Bednarek is clear that the rivalry is real and he now feels equipped to go one step better in 2026. Mentally he is right up there.

That’s what Surya needs to do. While there is introspection and acceptance, he mentioned lack of runs in the press conference, the third and most important part- redemption- is what is now left. Surya will have to believe that the very next innings is the one to change things. That he is just one hit away and get rid of self doubt. A long stretch of not scoring runs can create doubt and that’s now the key. May be that’s where the Oman game will go down for him as a major opportunity lost in 2025.