Suryakumar Yadav's batting crisis - Wasim Jaffer reveals hidden struggles

Team India's T20I Captain Suryakumar Yadav's recent form with the bat in the five T20Is against England has remained a pressing issue. Despite his side winning the series by a comfortable 4-1 margin, the T20I skipper struggled big time throughout. In the five innings he played, the Mumbai-based batter managed to score just 28 runs. 

Former Indian domestic legend, Wasim Jaffer, felt that the Indian skipper became overly reliant on the leg side for run-scoring. Moreover, he also opined that the prolific batter needed to sharpen his off-side stroke-making too. Furthermore, Jaffer also pointed out how Suryakumar Yadav attacked the wrong deliveries for boundaries. As a result, Mr 360 was frequently bringing about his downfall in a matter of a few balls. 

“He’s not among the runs, and he needs to address that because he is such a good batter in the shortest format of the game and has been a game-changer for the team. Him not scoring runs for a while is a worry. I wouldn’t say his form has dipped because of the captaincy. I think it’s more about his shot selection in one particular area," Jaffer said in a conversation with the Times of India (TOI).

"He looks to score on the leg side only. He has been scoring and dominating the areas between square-leg and fine-leg. That’s what I feel. He needs to address his offside shots as well. Every team now knows how to bowl to Surya. They come with a specific plan and field against him," he continued further.

"Everyone knows he hits the ball in that area. He needs to address this by scoring in different areas. Sometimes, it seems like he has completely shut down his shots on the off-side. He needs to look at his game and get it right. He’s picking the wrong ball to hit, and that’s why he’s getting out. He’s been getting out on low scores for a while now. He is a quality player, and I’m sure he will address this soon and come back to form," the 46-year-old stated.

The dual responsibility does play a role: Jaffer

Further extending the conversation, the former Mumbai skipper, who led the state for a total of 42 domestic games (First-Class and List-A), shed light on the supplementary duties a Captain has to shoulder, which he felt had a minor impact on Suryakumar's form. He cited the roles ranging from managing the team both on and off the field to speaking with selectors about the possible team combinations as well. This added pressure leads to a lesser focus on the personal gameplay aspects of a Captain.

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“Yes, the dual responsibility does play a role. There’s no doubt about that. As a captain, you have to handle the team, motivate the players, deal with the support staff, go for the toss, keep players in the right frame of mind, manage team combinations, wins, and losses, speak to selectors, and handle a lot more. But when you’re not the captain, you just focus on your batting or bowling, and you focus solely on yourself," added Jaffer.

Team India will play England in a three-match ODI series before heading over to the United Arab Emirates for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. Suryakumar would be keen on regaining form before the marquee ODI tournament.