Irfan Pathan says Suryakumar Yadav deserves more credit as India’s T20I captain, arguing the skipper’s leadership has flown under the radar despite strong results. Speaking to RevSportz, Pathan compared Surya’s captaincy style to Rohit Sharma’s, particularly in his handling of bowlers and his animated involvement during games.

“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.

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“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,” he added.

Since taking charge after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, Suryakumar has overseen a strong run. India have won 31 of 41 T20Is under him, claimed the Asia Cup 2025 and completed several unbeaten series. That record reflects a captain who mixes aggression with smart decision-making and who extracts peak performance from his players.

Pathan acknowledged Suryakumar’s personal form dipped in 2025 — the captain scored 218 runs in 21 matches — but argued that leadership cannot be reduced to raw statistics. “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,” Irfan Pathan said.

The recent home series against New Zealand has offered a clearer narrative. Surya posted consecutive fifties, rediscovering the fearless strokeplay that made him a T20 star, and those innings came at an ideal time ahead of the World Cup.

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With the tournament looming, India head into final warm-ups with a settled leadership group and renewed batting momentum. If Suryakumar’s tactical nous and batting rhythm continue to align, India will enter their title defence with a confident leader at the centre of a well-balanced side. Fans and critics will watch closely.