The legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers has given an unambiguous assessment of Suryakumar Yadav’s recent struggles, encouraging the Indian T20I captain to consider a mental reset in order to return. to his best form. Suryakumar, who took over the captaincy of India’s T20I team last year, has gone through a dry spell: he has only made 100 runs in 11 innings in 2023, averaging 11.11. His continued dismissals to slow balls have raised questions about his shot selection and confidence, as the Indian base for expectations has become higher over time.

Although he recently led India to an Asia Cup title, he did not score a half-century in the competition. This has put more scrutiny on his form and consistency.

‘Tweak the Mindset, Not the Technique’: AB de Villiers’ Key Message

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers said the issue isn’t necessarily technical but mental. “I wouldn’t say it’s a weakness, but when you start getting out to the same delivery over and over again, you’ve got to tweak a couple of things in your technique — and more so your mindset than anything else. just a matter of him seeing it as an opportunity; he picks up it’s a slower ball and he wants more than just one or two runs,” de Villiers explained.

The Proteas legend advised Suryakumar to focus on strike rotation and smart placement instead of chasing big hits. “He may be a little overly greedy, and that’s maybe just a mindset tweak. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it, but it’s a personal thing for him to figure out. Find spaces in the field and make sure you get two. Maybe keep it on the floor and try to get a four instead of big sixes,” he added.

De Villiers acknowledged that while Suryakumar’s aggressive intent is part of what makes him dangerous, it can also lead to unnecessary dismissals. He encouraged the batter to see slower balls as scoring opportunities rather than boundary invitations. “I like that he has an attacking mindset — he picks up length and pace very quickly. That’s his strength, and he just needs to use it smartly,” de Villiers said.

Having scored only 330 runs from 20 innings at an average of 18.33 since becoming captain, Suryakumar will be under the spotlight when India face Australia in the upcoming five-match T20I series — especially after his memorable T20 World Cup 2022 campaign Down Under.