Vinay Kumar has made a pointed call about Suryakumar Yadav’s batting slot during India’s ongoing T20I series against New Zealand — and it’s a message worth weighing as the T20 World Cup looms. The former India pacer argued that players should bat where they’re most effective, and suggested that Suryakumar’s captaincy has led him to compromise his own batting role by consistently putting others ahead of him in the order.
Vinay’s central thesis is simple and cricket-cold: a batter performs best when deployed in the position that maximises his strengths. “Surya plays well in the top order,” he said on Star Sports, pointing out that captains often have to absorb short-term hits for the sake of team balance.
But this five-match series against New Zealand, Vinay argued, isn’t a World Cup and offers an opportunity to let key players bat in their most productive positions to regain form and rhythm. Tactically, Vinay floated an intriguing line-up adjustment that could free Suryakumar to bat higher up. He suggested that Shubman Gill’s absence from the T20I squad might be part of a broader plan to create room for Surya at No. 3.
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In Vinay’s view, a pairing of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as openers would give India an aggressive platform, with Suryakumar promoted to No. 3 to exploit softer bowling and get more deliveries in hand. Tilak Varma could slot in at four; if he’s not fully fit, Shreyas Iyer could step in.
There’s context to Vinay’s argument: Suryakumar’s recent numbers have been underwhelming. In 2025, he managed just 218 runs from 19 T20I innings at an average of 13.62 and a strike rate of 123.16, and he’s yet to post a fifty this year. Still, the skipper showed encouraging intent in the series opener, scoring 32 off 22 balls at a healthy strike rate of 145.45 — a small but promising sign that form isn’t far away.
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Ultimately, Vinay’s message is pragmatic: experiment now, fix roles for the World Cup. Let Surya bat where he can face the most balls and build an innings; it may be the quickest route to rediscovering the kind of consistent impact India will need from their captain in big-match scenarios.
