IND vs NZ 2026: 'Shows the skipper’s maturity' - Sunil Gavaskar explains how Suryakumar Yadav rediscovered form in 2nd T20I

During the high-scoring second T20I between India and New Zealand at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Friday, January 23, Suryakumar Yadav scored his first half-century in international cricket since October 2024. His unbeaten 82 off 37 balls helped India chase down a 209-run target in just 15.2 overs, with seven wickets to spare.

This knock comes as a timely boost for India as there had been major concerns about Suryakumar's prolonged lean patch in the shortest format. The right-handed batter finished 2025 with a meagre average in 13.62. However, he has started 2026 with scores of 32 (22) and 82* (37).

On Friday, he walked out to bat after India lost both their openers within the first seven balls of the run chase. Ishan Kishan went hammer and tongs from the outset, allowing Suryakumar some time to get his eye in. In the first 10 balls he faced, the right-handed batter scored just 10 runs. However, in the eighth over, he took 25 runs off Zakary Foulkes and never looked back.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Suryakumar for showing maturity early in his innings and his shot selection towards the back end after Ishan Kishan was dismissed for a breathtaking 76 off 32 balls.

“He was on 11 off 11 deliveries. So in that partnership of 122, 76 were scored by Ishan Kishan, but that also shows the skipper’s maturity. Here was another man who was batting so well, so he was giving him more of the strike as well as getting his eye in, and therefore getting himself ready for the big push. Once Ishan Kishan got out, he was the one who took the initiative and started punching the ball, and besides everything else, the driving through the off side was the big plus because that means that he’s looking to play straight as much as possible. Then once you’ve got that, this shot can come into play. That was a fabulous innings and a big boost for the Indian team on the eve of the World Cup,” said Gavaskar on Star Sports.

Gavaskar pointed out that Suryakumar changed his mindset in the second T20I, doing away with his former batting template, where he would get out playing audacious shots on the leg-side or behind the stumps.

“Yes, it’s a mindset thing because, look, he started his T20 career with that scoop shot for a six off Jofra Archer. So you might think that this is the shot that is giving me all the runs, but no. When you look to play straight down the pitch — and Simon just mentioned that the on drive wasn’t the easiest of shots to play — but he played it so well, with so much time and freedom. It gives you that feeling as a batter when the ball hits the middle of the bat. You just feel that much more confident, and you could see his confidence grow with every ball that he spent at the crease,” he added.