Former Indian cricketer Vinay Kumar has made a strong statement regarding India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav during the ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with India currently leading 1-0.

Vinay emphasised the importance of players batting in their designated positions and suggested that Suryakumar has compromised his own role since taking over the captaincy by allowing others to bat ahead of him. He believes that Suryakumar should return to the top order in the series against New Zealand, especially with the T20 World Cup 2026 in mind.

"It is important for any player to bat at his best position. Surya plays well in the top order. But as a captain, he has to give others the cushion and take the hit. Your role is not easy as a captain. You have to put others in the front, give them the cushion, and somewhere you take the hit. But this bilateral series is not like the World Cup. It is important to play in your best place," Vinay said on Star Sports.

The right-arm pacer also suggested that Shubman Gill’s omission from the T20I squad may have been a tactical move to allow Suryakumar to bat higher up the order. He opined that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson should open the innings, with Suryakumar coming in at No. 3 to maximise his impact in the format.

"Maybe that is a reason why Shubman Gill is not in the team. If Gill is not there, the probability of Surya playing at three becomes more. Sanju can open with Abhishek, Surya can come at three, Tilak at four. If Tilak is not fit, then Shreyas can take his spot. I think any player will think that when they got success, at which number they batted, how they batted and what the mindset was. I think he will consider all this and choose the number. There is no scope for mistakes in the T20 World Cup," said Vinay.

Suryakumar has endured a lean patch with the bat in 2025, struggling for consistency in the shortest format. He has scored only 218 runs from 19 T20I innings at an average of 13.62, with a strike rate of 123.16, and is yet to register a half-century this year. In the opening T20I against the Black Caps, however, he showed some positive intent, scoring 32 off 22 deliveries at a strike rate of 145.45.