With just five months to go for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, all eyes will be on Suryakumar Yadav as India gear up for the Asia Cup 2025, starting September 10. The 34-year-old, once hailed as India’s most dangerous T20I batter, finds himself at a crossroads, with selectors watching closely and consistency at stake.

India will kick off their campaign against UAE on September 10, before facing arch-rivals Pakistan in a highly anticipated clash on September 14. The Men in Blue will wrap up their league stage with another fixture against UAE on September 19, followed by the Super Four stage beginning September 20.

Suryakumar, widely regarded as a 360-degree player capable of dismantling any attack, last featured in a T20-format Asia Cup back in 2022. He had a decent campaign, finishing as the eighth-highest run-scorer with 139 runs in five matches, averaging 34.75 with a healthy strike rate of 163.52. His standout performance came against Hong Kong, where he remained unbeaten on 68, his only half-century of the tournament. However, the rest of the campaign saw him struggle to convert starts into meaningful scores.