NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has lauded India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav for his exceptional composure and unwavering focus. This commendation comes despite significant social media attention surrounding the team’s unbeaten run at the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, particularly after a much-discussed incident involving a handshake after the India vs. Pakistan match.
Suryakumar is captaining India in the Asia Cup for the first time, and his leadership has been flawless, guiding the team to decisive victories. India kicked off their campaign with a commanding nine-wicket win over the UAE, followed by a dominant seven-wicket triumph against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Praising the 34-year-old’s leadership qualities, Kaif took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his admiration. He wrote, “Suryakumar Yadav emerges as a true leader in this Asia Cup. Scoring winning runs in a high-pressure game, marshalling the bowlers intelligently, not losing focus despite social media noise. SKY is a complete captain.”
Suryakumar stepped into the role of India’s full-time T20I captain following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format of the game. Rohit Sharma had announced his departure from T20I cricket after leading India to a T20 World Cup victory in June 2024.
In the highly anticipated clash against Pakistan, Suryakumar played a pivotal role with the bat. He remained unbeaten with 47 runs off just 37 balls, ultimately hitting the winning six off the penultimate delivery of the 16th over to seal India’s chase of 128 runs.
Earlier in the match, India’s bowlers delivered a clinical performance, effectively restricting Pakistan to 127/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the standout performer, showcasing his skill by claiming 3 wickets for just 18 runs in his four-over spell.
The chase began strongly with openers Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma providing a flying start. Suryakumar then took charge, steering the team home with a calm and collected innings.
With two wins from two games, India currently sits atop the Group A points table and has already secured its spot in the Super Four stage of the tournament. The top two teams from both Group A and Group B will compete in the Super Four round for a chance to reach the final.
India’s next fixture will be their final group-stage match against Oman, scheduled for Friday, September 19, at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.