- By Himanshu Badola
- Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:46 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Indian legend Rohit Sharma came up with a big warning for Suryakumar Yadav amid the latter's poor batting form ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, which kicks off on February 7. Having taken over as India's T20I captain after Rohit Sharma's retirement from the format in 2024, Suryakumar hasn't been at his best over the past few months, but the upcoming New Zealand series could bring a lot of positives for him.
Once the No. 1-ranked T20I batter in the world for nearly two years, Suryakumar struggled for runs in international cricket last year. Rohit, who led India to an incredible title win in the T20 World Cup 2024, said that Suryakumar's recent poor form could impact the team's entire batting order. India will need the senior batter to fire during the NZ series, especially in the absence of Tilak Varma in the middle order. The five-match T20I series between India and New Zealand kicks off on Wednesday, with the first match scheduled to be played in Nagpur.
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"It's not about the captain getting in form or not. Suppose a player is not in form. The seven or eight batters we have, out of that, we are getting one less batter. The main batting power that we have, obviously, if you leave one out, then it will not be as effective as it should be. If Surya doesn't play well, the batting lineup suffers," Rohit said in an interview with Star Sports.
Rohit, however, reserved appreciation for Suryakumar Yadav's leadership skills. Notably, the duo has spent a lot of time together in the Indian dressing room as well as at the Mumbai Indians. "I think Surya has a lot of understanding regarding the game and the players who are playing with him, how to get the best out of them," Rohit said.
Talking about New Zealand, they will be heading into the T20I series with massive confidence after registering their first-ever ODI series win on Indian soil. They will be captained by Mitchell Santner, who acknowledged his team's recent success against India across formats. New Zealand ended India's incredible 12-year-long undefeated streak on home soil in Test cricket in 2024. "It obviously gives us an edge. We love playing in India, and we love playing in India. We have had some recent successes against India in different formats. We are looking forward to the series. The aim, first of all, is obviously to win the series but also have good enough preparation leading into the T20 World Cup 2026. It's about playing a great team in similar conditions to what we are gonna face in the World Cup. In terms of preparations for the series, it's going to be a great series," Santner said.