Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar spoke candidly about Suryakumar Yadav’s current difficulties in T20 internationals, urging the Indian captain to put his signature pick-up shot on hold until he regains his touch and confidence.

Suryakumar Yadav’s tough phase continued as he was out for 12 in India’s seven wicket win over South Africa in the third T20I at Dharamsala on Sunday. Even though the result strengthened India’s grip on the series, the captain’s ongoing lack of runs once again became a key point of discussion among fans and experts.

Suryakumar went for his trademark pick-up shot in the fine leg region but couldn’t generate enough power, and Ottneil Baartman completed the catch on Lungi Ngidi‘s delivery. In the commentary box, Sunil Gavaskar was not impressed with the shot selection, suggesting that a stroke that once worked well for SKY is now resulting in his dismissals.

“That stroke has brought him a lot of runs over the years. But when you’re out of touch, it’s ending up in the air rather than clearing the rope. It’s landing comfortably inside the boundary. So perhaps he should put that shot away for now, until he finds his rhythm again,” Gavaskar said.

“Because it’s costing him his wicket, and India can’t afford their captain making just 12 runs,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav’s latest dismissal has pushed his half-century drought in T20Is to 21 innings, leading to scrutiny with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka set for February–March next year. In over 20 T20Is this year, the India captain has scored at an average of just 14 and a strike rate of 125.