Mumbai Indians star and India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav received strong backing and simple, yet profound, advice from former Australian captain Ricky Ponting ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Ponting acknowledged the surprise regarding Yadav's recent dip in form, noting that the batter has been a consistent contributor for India in the shortest format for a long time.
Ponting emphasized that Yadav needs a mindset shift to return to his best, urging him to trust his preparation and play without fear. The advice centers on focusing purely on offense, a strategy that has defined Yadav's success in T20 cricket. This vote of confidence from a cricketing legend provides a positive boost for the Mumbai batter as he prepares for the upcoming international series and the subsequent IPL season.
This analysis was generated by Third Umpire using official IPL statistics and live match data.
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“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.”
Best match-winning batting specialists in IPL 2025 (calculated as Not Out % × Average, batters/all-rounders/wicketkeepers only)
| Rank | Player | Team | match-winners |
|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 41.6 score | |
#2 | Delhi Capitals | 26.9 score | |
#3 | Punjab Kings | 25.0 score | |
| #4 | Mumbai Indians | 20.4 score | |
| #5 | Gujarat Titans | 18.4 score |
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India updated squad for first three T20Is vs New Zealand: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy
India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and his wife Devisha Shetty visited the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala on Vaikuntha Ekadashi. The couple participated in sacred rituals, including passing through the Vaikuntha Dwaram, and received blessings from temple priests.
India, on the other hand, have already named their squad for the five T20Is. The same 15-member unit will also be seen featuring in the T20 World Cup, which will follow the home series.
“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.”
