In the scenic environs of Thiruvananthapuram, the India-New Zealand T20I series reaches its climax with the fifth match. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav is tantalizingly close to a personal landmark—merely 33 runs shy of 3,000 T20I runs, which would place him third on India’s all-time list.
2025 proved testing for Yadav the batsman. Across 22 outings, no fifties came his way, fueling concerns over his dip ahead of major tournaments. Yet, the Black Caps series has been his redemption arc. Blazing knocks of 82 and 56 in recent games, plus 32 and 8, have rebuilt confidence in India’s core batting group.
Picture this: Rohit Sharma’s 4,231 runs and Virat Kohli’s 4,188 define the summit for Indians in T20Is. Both bowed out post their World Cup triumph. Yadav, with 2,967 runs from 97 innings (average 36.62, 4 tons, 23 fifties in 103 games), is primed to chase them. A 33-run knock on Saturday would cap his comeback story.
This milestone isn’t just stats—it’s a testament to resilience. As India aims to seal the series, Yadav’s blade could carve out both history and a win, fortifying the team’s World Cup preparations.