For Everyone Calling Suryakumar Yadav Better Than Kohli in T20Is, Heres the Truth

Suryakumar Yadav, the current Indian captain, was compared with Virat Kohli in the T20I format a few years ago. But, with his performances dropping in the Asia Cup 2025, the debate of who's the better T20I batsman seems to come to an end.

When Suryakumar Yadav made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 2021, various fans compared him to India's best T20I batsman, even better than Virat Kohli. However, it seems that the debate between Kohli and SKY came to an end, even after King Kohli’s retirement, hailing him as the greatest.

After becoming the captain of the Indian cricket team, Suryakumar Yadav holds an impressive record, leading the team to victories in every T20I series. Currently in the Asia Cup 2025, he led the team to the finals once again, winning all five matches they have played till now, with a game against Sri Lanka in the Super Fours left.

But questions have now been raised about his dropping form in the T20I format, as he fails to score runs consistently for the team in the Asia Cup 2025. In the Asia Cup 2025, he has scored 59 runs in 4 innings at an average of 29.50, with a high score of 47 not out. Let's analyse how Virat Kohli has been at a different level in the T20I format than Suryakumar Yadav.

1. Even at Low, King Stands Taller

Virat Kohli had a tough time in 2021, where he struggled to perform well for the team. And he was also not able to give big scores like he used to. Questions were also raised by several former players about his selection to the Indian cricket team. Despite his worst phase, Kohli secured the Player of the Series award against England, and his stats in the T20Is in 2021 were:

• Innings: 8
• Not Out: 4
• Runs: 299
• Average: 74.75
• Strike Rate: 132.88
• Half-centuries: 4

For Suryakumar Yadav, things have been a lot different in his worst year, i.e., 2025, as he struggles to score consistently for the team. After the match against Bangladesh, the stats of Suryakumar Yadav in 2025 are:

• Innings: 9
• Not Out: 2
• Runs: 87
• Average: 12.42
• Strike Rate: 112.98
• Half-centuries: 0

Among the 87 runs of Suryakumar Yadav in 2025, 47 runs were in a match against Pakistan. And the rest 40 runs were summed up with a combination of 8 innings. This demonstrates that Virat Kohli, even in his lowest form, could still help the team earn some score on a regular basis. Whereas Suryakumar Yadav had trouble locating his form.

2. The Year of Kohli vs The Year of SKY

In 2016, Virat Kohli turned out to be an invincible player in the T20I format. The bowlers were barely able to wicket him. He was also the top run scorer during the ICC T20 World Cup 2016. Kohli single-handedly led India into the semi-finals of the tournament. He finished his prime year in the T20I format with impressive figures:

• Innings: 13
• Not Out: 7
• Runs: 641
• Average: 106.83
• Strike Rate: 140.26
• Half-centuries: 7

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav had his prime time in 2022, a year after his debut. At this time, he smashed the bowlers across different corners of the ground. But in an attempt to play big shots, he was either able to set big scores or end up losing his wicket early.

• Innings: 31
• Not Out: 6
• Runs: 1164
• Average: 46.56
• Strike Rate: 187.43
• Centuries: 2
• Half-centuries: 9

Although Suryakumar Yadav had big scores in his prime, the bowlers didn't face as many challenges as they used to when going against Virat Kohli in 2016.

3. Captain Kohli vs Captain SKY

Since Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav both have led the team in the T20I format, taking a look at their stats as captains would give a better answer to this debate. Virat Kohli played a crucial role for the Indian team with his bat, as he gave the example of leading from the front.

Kohli's T20I stats as a captain:

• Innings: 46
• Not Out: 13
• Runs: 1570
• Average: 47.57
• Strike Rate: 140.55
• Half-centuries: 13

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has tasted more success as a captain in the T20I format. But his contribution with the bat towards the team's victories has been inconsistent, giving Virat Kohli yet another edge over him in this debate.

Suryakumar’s T20I stats as a captain:

• Innings: 25
• Not Out: 2
• Runs: 617
• Average: 26.82
• Strike Rate: 156.20
• Centuries: 1
• Half-centuries: 4

This shows that the figures of Suryakumar Yadav are far lower than those of Virat Kohli in the T20I format as a captain of the team.