Suryakumar Yadav Makes Shocking Revelation On His Struggling ODI Career

Suryakumar Yadav makes shocking revelation on his ODI career [Source: AFP]

Suryakumar Yadav led Team India to a historic T20 World Cup 2026 triumph earlier this month against New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The skipper himself kickstarted India’s title-winning run at home by delivering a clutch performance in their opening match of the tournament against the USA in Mumbai.

Having reached unprecedented heights in T20 cricket for Team India as well as the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, the senior Mumbai batter never truly managed to replicate that success in ODIs. It is worth noting that Suryakumar Yadav was one of the starting members of India’s 2023 World Cup squad, where he scored a dismal 18 off 28 balls against Australia in the final.

With that innings seemingly concluding his ODI career for Team India, the 35-year-old has now admitted that he never truly understood the 50-over format and is content having settled into T20 cricket.

Suryakumar Yadav says he found ODIs very “challenging”

While speaking with the PTI, Suryakumar Yadav opened up about his struggles while playing ODI cricket for Team India. The senior cricketer claimed that 50-overs is one format where players need to bat in “three different” ways.

Also Read- Sanju Samson Tipped To Lead India After Suryakumar Yadav; RR And India Success Cited

The Indian T20I skipper added that while he tried his best to succeed in ODIs, he never truly understood it and it found the most challenging among all three forms of the game.

Suryakumar Yadav said “I feel that as much as I have experienced ODI cricket closely and I have seen it, it is a format where you have to bat in three different ways. Sometimes, if you go in early, if wickets fall quickly, then you have to bat like Test cricket. Then you have to bat with a good strike rate, like in a one-day, and then later at the end of the innings, you have to bat like you do in T20 format. So, that is one format that I never understood. I tried my best to play it. But then it’s a challenging format.”

Suryakumar Yadav says he is content and settled with T20

The Mumbai Indians legend also stated that he is now fully settled with T20 cricket, as it is one format that is “working out” for him.

As quoted by News18, he said “T20 mein jaisa chal raha tha, usme apna haath set ho gaya hai, aisa bol sakte hain" (The way T20 was working out for me, I had become good at it; you can say that).”

Suryakumar Yadav’s dismal ODI track record for India

Suryakumar Yadav made his ODI debut during India’s away series against Sri Lanka in July 2021. While he started off his 50-overs international career with confident half-centuries against Sri Lanka and West Indies, he registered three successive ducks in a single home series against Australia in early 2023.

The Mumbai batter still made it to India’s 2023 World Cup squad, and ended up playing seven matches of the tournament at home. In seven innings, the hard-hitting middle-order batter aggregated just 106 runs at an average of 17.66, which included a sluggish 18 from 28 balls in the final against Australia at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

Suryakumar to join Mumbai Indians after T20 World Cup 2026 glory

Fresh from leading the Indian team to an emphatic win at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the senior Indian batter will now join the Mumbai Indians franchise for the upcoming IPL 2026 season.

The 35-year-old was retained by Mumbai Indians back in late 2025 prior to the auction. As per the IPL 2026 schedule, the franchise will start off with a match against KKR on March 29 later this month.

Also Read- What Is The Controversy Behind Shubman Gill Champions Trophy Error?