Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan: Form, timing and head space

When Suryakumar Yadav arrived at the crease with India at 6 for 2 in the second over, anticipation cut through the cold Raipur air. In that same over, Jacob Duffy pushed one across him. It nipped away and beat the outside edge. Suryakumar stared down at the pitch.

For months, Suryakumar has insisted there was nothing wrong with his form—that runs had eluded him, not form itself. He maintained his methods were fine and a notable knock was around the corner.

But T20 batting offers belief, not certainty. Suryakumar reinforced that the mental side of his game was in mint condition, with split-second decisions coming off as expected in training. His insistence about form may not have been denial.

Eventually, nature healed for Suryakumar. His numbers on Friday night were typical: 82 off 37 balls with nine fours and four sixes. It ended a dry spell of 24 T20I innings without a fifty, dating back to October 2024. This knock highlighted timing in the format—not just clean contact, but when chances stop slipping through a batter's fingers. This opportunity stayed clenched in Suryakumar's fist, with an ally at the other end who knows about timing of a third kind.

The Nagpur game was Ishan Kishan's first T20I since November 2023. India pausing on Shubman Gill in the T20I top order reshaped the squad's needs. The requirement became a back-up keeper who was a top-order option. Jitesh Sharma made way, and Kishan became the natural beneficiary. This opportunity was earned, coming after a blistering, title-winning Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign where he smashed 517 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 197.33.

Kishan finds himself in India's XI only until Tilak Varma is fit to reclaim his No. 3 spot. But beyond uncontrollable circumstances, Kishan showed in Raipur that he belonged, freeing his captain from a long-standing rut.

Kishan started shakily—India were two down early chasing 200-plus, needing to maximize the PowerPlay without collapse. A 24-run Zakary Foulkes over got Kishan whirring, with the ball flying through and over the off-side field. Duffy returned with an outside-the-off-stump line, but was thumped for fours. Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry couldn't change the chase's direction as Kishan rose to a 21-ball half-century inside the PowerPlay.

India had 75 for 2 in six overs, with Kishan roasting New Zealand with 10 fours. This offered Suryakumar the rarity of time in a T20I innings. Knowing Kishan was driving the team well ahead of the asking rate allowed him to breathe. After six overs, Suryakumar had faced just eight balls for eight runs.

"I don't know what Ishan had for lunch or what pre-workout he had, but I've never seen anyone bat at 6 for 2 in that manner and still end the powerplay around 67 or 70. I thought it was incredible," Suryakumar said later.

Batters often talk about being in the right headspace—the mental side ignited by form, which itself is attributed to that headspace. Kishan's approach showed where he was in this loop: no hesitation in his bat swing, coming far too frequently for New Zealand's liking. When Suryakumar brought up the 100-run partnership with a four off Foulkes, he was still basking in Kishan's glory, motoring along at 19 off 13.

This passage became the inflection point. A 25-run over had Suryakumar guiding a short ball to third man, hooking another for six, and creaming an overcorrection through covers for four. Suryakumar was dancing to his tune again—shots over fine-leg landing deep, improvisations with footwork paying off. He raced to a 23-ball fifty, countered Duffy's short deliveries, and tormented Foulkes with shots down the ground.

As India moved 2-0 up in the series, Suryakumar walked off with a quiet, earned arrogance about his batting. It was an evening of vindication, echoing what he had said all along. Does it hint at what's to come in the rest of the series and the World Cup? In T20s, there are no guarantees, and even he knows that.