T20 World Cup: Former Australia cricketer Ricky Ponting has backed out-of-form India skipper Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the T20 World Cup, scheduled to kick off on February 7. Yadav has been out of form and has managed just 218 runs across 19 innings with a below-par strike rate of 123.16 in 2025. However, Ponting showed his trust in the Indian skipper and urged him to back his aggressive style of play.
“That's as big a surprise for me, just looking at his recent form. He's been such a solid and consistent contributor for India in T20 cricket for a long time and just hasn't been able to find it of late,” Ponting told ICC. “He's an interesting one because when I've seen him play his best, he's taken six or eight or 10 balls to get going and then just lets it all go,” said Ponting.
“He plays all of his shots and backs himself, and a bit like Travis Head, where it almost looks like they don't ever fear getting out,” Ponting noted. “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.”
