Suryakumar Yadav closes in on Virat Kohli as India great's T20I record under threat

SKY inches close to Virat Kohli's record [Source: X]

India captain Suryakumar Yadav is gradually closing the gap between Virat Kohli and himself for the most Player of the Series awards in men’s T20I games.

The India captain has been prolific with his numbers in the New Zealand T20I series, and in the concluding game of the bilateral multi-format tour of New Zealand, Suryakumar Yadav managed to secure another Player of the Series award.

Surya closed in on Virat Kohli, who currently has seven Player of the Series awards in men’s T20Is.

Virat Kohli tops list of cricketers with the most player of the series awards in T20Is

Undeniably, Suryakumar Yadav’s impact in the game was huge. Yadav scored a 30-ball 63 in the fifth T20I on January 31 and, overall in the series, averaged 80.67 from his five innings.

Surya’s innings were all full of impact since the first T20I, which ultimately handed him the Player of the Series award for the sixth time.

[Most Player of the Series awards in T20Is]

Alongside Suryakumar Yadav, Wanindu Hasaranga, the star all-rounder from Sri Lanka, also has six Player of the Series awards in men’s T20Is.

How impactful was Suryakumar Yadav with the bat?

With that said, let’s take a look at how Suryakumar Yadav left a massive impact with the bat in this series. In the first match, Suryakumar Yadav managed to score just a 22-ball 32 after Ishan Kishan’s departure in the third over. 

However, even though it was not massive, Suryakumar’s innings played the role of an anchor to transition India’s total to 238 runs at the end of 20 overs, which ultimately led India to a 48-run win.

In the second T20I, Suryakumar Yadav showed his true form after struggling with the bat previously. Yadav scored 82 runs from just 37 deliveries, striking at 221.62 while staying unbeaten. He played this knock while chasing a mammoth total of 209 against New Zealand, as he came in after Abhishek Sharma’s departure for a golden duck.

Surya partnered with Ishan Kishan for 122 runs and then saw the game through alongside Shivam Dube with their 81-run partnership, with seven wickets still in hand.

The third T20I at Guwahati also saw a blistering display from Suryakumar Yadav, where he put up 57 runs for himself while chasing a modest target of 154 runs set by New Zealand. Partnering with Abhishek Sharma for 102 runs off just 40 balls, Suryakumar Yadav was instrumental in accelerating the pace of the chase.

The fourth T20I, however, was a downturn for the Indian skipper as he only managed eight runs before getting dismissed early. Yet, he bounced back in the final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram, where he scored another 30-ball 63, laced with six sixes and four boundaries, to help India post a total that now ranks as the third-highest for India in T20Is.

SKY jumps back in form before T20 World Cup 2026

Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering form therefore comes right in time just before the T20 World Cup 2022–26.

With just six days left for the mega tournament, Suryakumar Yadav has bounced back from a run of form that troubled him in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the South Africa series, where he averaged just 8.50 from four matches, and in the India vs Australia series as well, where he averaged 28 from his four matches.