Shubman Gill's lean patch has dominated discussion, but skipper Suryakumar Yadav's prolonged run drought is now equally under the scanner as India look to seal the five-match T20I series against South Africa in Lucknow on Wednesday.
The third match offered Suryakumar a perfect chance to regain fluency during a modest 118-run chase, yet the ease that once defined the world's top-ranked T20 batter was missing. His dismissal to the pick-up shot -- once his calling card -- summed up a year-long struggle. While Suryakumar insists he is 'out of runs, not out of form', the numbers are alarming: an average below 15 this season and no half-century in 2025.
Gill's problems persist too. Promoted to open, he has yet to find rhythm in T20Is, with a scratchy 28 doing little to settle India's top order. With the T20 World Cup looming, India need their leaders firing -- and fast.