Suryakumar Yadav Makes It Into Unfortunate List Featuring MS Dhoni After Disastrous Innings Against South Africa in T20 World Cup

Despite a 81.8 strike rate against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav’s career T20I scoring rate remains a blistering 162.78, highlighting his abilities.

Suryakumar Yadav Makes It Into Unfortunate List Featuring MS Dhoni After Disastrous Innings Against South Africa in T20 World Cup

Suryakumar Yadav joins a list of Indian batters with the lowest strike-rate in a T20 World Cup game, headed by MS Dhoni. (Image via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Suryakumar Yadav's performance in the T20 World Cup match against South Africa has faced heavy criticism, placing him on a list of Indian players with the lowest strike rates in T20 World Cup history.
  • India suffered a 76-run defeat, marking their worst-ever loss in T20 World Cup history and ending a 12-match winning streak in ICC tournaments.
  • Following the loss, Yadav was seen in a heated discussion with the coaching staff, indicating potential unrest within the team.

Following India’s humiliating defeat to South Africa in the 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eights on Sunday, captain Suryakumar Yadav‘s performance has drawn heavy criticism. His poor showing has landed him on an unfortunate list of Indian batters, alongside former captain MS Dhoni.

The Men in Blue’s pursuit of consecutive T20 World Cup titles is now in jeopardy following a heavy 76-run defeat to the Proteas. Chasing 187 runs, a disciplined South African bowling attack restricted India for just 111 runs in 18.5 overs. South African pacers Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch ripped through India’s top and middle order to finish with impressive figures of 4/22 and 3/24, respectively. 

Fingers pointed towards Suryakumar Yadav’s display as well, as the Indian captain failed to shoulder the responsibility when pressure was highest. He came in at number 4 after Tilak Varma‘s wicket, with the Indian team in a disastrous position at 5/2 in the second over. He started off with two quick boundaries, sparking hopes of a potential comeback. He stayed on the crease while wickets continued to fall.

Yadav’s brief stay ended in the 10th over of the chase, as he finished with 18 runs off 22 balls. Batting with a strike-rate of just 81.82, the 35-year-old now finds his name on an unfortunate list of Indian players with the lowest strike-rate in a T20 World Cup game. He is sixth on this list, which specifically includes batters who faced a minimum of 20 balls in a World Cup game but failed to accelerate. 

Suryakumar Yadav’s strike rate was low in his previous knocks against the Netherlands and Pakistan, where he batted at a strike-rate close to 120. On top of the list is former Indian captain MS Dhoni, whose 11 runs off 23 balls against the West Indies came at a strike-rate of just 47.82. In a must-win game at the Lord’s in the 2009 T20 World Cup, Dhoni struggled to find his rhythm against the Windies pace attack. 

R. Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh also find their names on this unwanted list. While Ashwin’s 10 runs off 20 balls (strike-rate of 50) came in a 2016 T20 World Cup defeat to New Zealand, Singh’s 11 runs off 21 balls (strike-rate of 52.38) came in the 2014 final against Sri Lanka.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav in a ‘heated’ exchange with coaches following South Africa loss

There is no doubt that the Indian dressing room was grim following the team’s humbling Super Eight defeat to South Africa in Ahmedabad. Following the loss, captain Suryakumar Yadav and the support staff members were captured having a ‘heated’ discussion in the dugout. 

Suryakumar Yadav heated chat
Suryakumar Yadav engaged in an intense chat with Gautam Gambhir, following India’s Super Eight defeat. (via Times of India)

After the game had ended, Yadav was seen having an intense conversation with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and fielding coach T Dilip, while seated. The talk could have possibly been about what went wrong in the team’s efforts. The video of the conversation has gone viral, with fans suggesting that all might not be well. 

It was surely a record-breaking evening. Not only did the 76-run loss to South Africa mark the worst-ever defeat for India in T20 World Cup history (by margin of runs), but it also ended the team’s invincibility in ICC tournaments. South Africa snapped India’s 12-match winning streak in T20 World Cups, as the team had not lost a single match since the 2022 semi-final loss to England. 

Individually, Abhishek Sharma‘s ongoing struggle remains one of the poorest starts by an Indian opener in the T20 World Cup. After being dismissed for three consecutive ducks, Sharma finally opened his account but was only able to score 15 runs off just 12 balls.  

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