Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has provided some crucial advise to struggling Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The premier event is set to begin next month, with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting it.
The Indian T20 captain, who was once considered as the world’s best batter in T20Is, has been suffering with his form since last year. Despite leading India to several victories, he had a terrible year as a batsman in 2025, scoring only 218 runs with a strike rate of 123.16 and an average of 13.62 in 21 matches. The stats are nowhere near the benchmarks that the Mumbai batter has set for himself.
Ponting, noted for his quick cricket mind, gave some counsel to the struggling right-hander. Speaking at the ICC Review meeting ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, the 51-year-old expressed surprise at how badly the India T20 captain is suffering for form.
“That’s as big a surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He’s been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn’t been able to find it of late,” Ponting said on ICC review.
“He’s an interesting one because when I’ve seen him play his best, he’s taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go.” “He plays all of his shots and backs himself and a bit like Travis Head where it almost looks like they don’t ever fear getting out,” said Ponting.
According to Ricky Ponting, a change in mindset will come in handy to Suryakumar, as that might help him play more freely and find his lost rhythm once again.
“That’s what I’d say to him. I’d be saying, think about scoring runs, don’t think about getting out. Trust yourself, back yourself. You’re proven to be as good as anybody in the world in the T20 format and go and prove it to everybody once again,” said Ponting.
The two-time World Cup-winning captain also expressed shock on Shubman Gill’s absence from Team India’s World Cup squad. Gill was the vice-captain until the penultimate T20I series before getting dropped.
“Yeah, I couldn’t believe that. I know his recent form hasn’t been great in white-ball cricket. And the last time that I really saw much of him play was the Test series against England in the UK where he batted as well as I’ve ever seen anybody bat,”, he said.
The Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will kick off on February 7. India will start their title defence against the USA on the same day, at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Before that, the Men in Blue are scheduled to play a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, offering them a chance to find form and rhythm before the World Cup.
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