“He's an amazing player who hasn't found runs or rhythm recently” - Irfan Pathan backs Suryakumar Yadav to find his lost form in T20I series vs NZ

Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has backed the Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav to get back to his old form in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting on Wednesday, January 21, in Nagpur.

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Speaking exclusively on 'Follow The Blues', JioStar expert Irfan Pathan made it clear that Suryakumar’s form would be crucial for the Men In Blue as the side aims to defend the title in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, starting on February 7.

"This series is important for India with key preparation factors, especially Suryakumar Yadav's form. He's an amazing player who hasn't found runs or rhythm recently--that's a fact. But you'd still bet on him; he has that calibre. I expect strong performances from him across these five matches," Pathan said on JioStar.

For the unversed, Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t register a single half-century in the last 21 T20I matches and 19 innings, managing to score only 218 runs at an average of 13.62 and the highest score of an unbeaten 47-run knock.

Ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Suryakumar, who attended the pre-series press conference, asserted that he has been batting really well in the nets and doesn't want to do things differently ahead of the mega event.

"Every game we play in a series is crucial. We try to get something out of it. I have been batting really well at the nets and also talking about the runs; it will definitely come, but at the same time, I can't do things differently. I don't want to change my identity. What has given me success in the past 3-4 years, I would like to bat the same way. And then if performance comes, I will take it. If it doesn't come, then I will go back to the drawing board, practice again, work hard and come back stronger," Suryakumar said in the pre-series press conference.

India squad for T20I series vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.

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