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Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has lauded Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, saying the India skipper has not received the recognition he deserves despite delivering consistent results. Suryakumar took over the T20I captaincy from Rohit Sharma following the 2024 T20 World Cup and has since steadily stamped his authority as the team’s leader, with an eye firmly on defending the title at the 2026 global event. Under his watch, India have embraced an attacking and fearless style of cricket, an approach strongly backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The results have followed, with India clinching series wins in Australia and South Africa, asserting dominance at home, and lifting the Asia Cup to underline their supremacy in continental competition.
Pathan has questioned the lack of spotlight on Suryakumar’s leadership, pointing out that the India skipper’s impact as a captain often goes unnoticed despite the numbers firmly backing him. Highlighting Suryakumar’s outstanding success rate in T20Is, Pathan stressed that his achievements at the helm deserve far greater recognition than they currently receive.
“We don’t celebrate Surya – the captain as much, for whatever reason. His win percentage as captain in T20Is is 84 per cent, it is the highest we have. Why are we not celebrating him as captain? People don’t give him as much credit,” Irfan Pathan said in an interview with RevSportz.
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The former all-rounder further highlighted Surya’s qualities as a leader on the field, drawing comparisons with Rohit Sharma and praising the way the India skipper backs and manages his bowlers.
“He is a bowler’s leader. I see a shadow of Rohit Sharma on him, by the way he takes care of the bowlers, he is very animated, very much involved in the game, and many times he takes the right decision for the team,” Pathan added.
“Very important for Suryakumar Yadav to feel good about himself”
Meanwhile, Surya has returned to form in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, where he scored back-to-back fifties in the second and third T20I.
Pathan stressed the importance of confidence for Surya ahead of a major tournament, noting that form and self-belief often go hand in hand for a captain. Reflecting on the positives from the New Zealand series, Pathan pointed out how crucial those runs were for Suryakumar’s mindset, especially with the World Cup around the corner.
“It was very important for him to feel good about himself. Being the captain, he was always going to play the World Cup, but to go into the World Cup with runs, that was crucial for him. I always had faith in him, believed in him, and had predicted before the series itself that he would score runs. It is the most important positive that you have got from this New Zealand series,” Pathan said.
