Surya regains touch but rain washes out first T201

Cut short by rain but till the time Suryakumar Yadav was batting, he wasn’t looking anywhere close to a man who hadn't scored a fifty in his last 14 innings and averaged only 10.50 during that time.

- Somshuvra Laha

This India team has made it a mission to not overtly rely on any one player but the captain going through a slump of such proportions after spending the better part of 2024 as the No.1 batter had to be addressed sooner or later. Canberra seemed to have finally triggered that correction phase.

Choosing to continue batting at No.3 on a pitch spicier than the ones in Dubai where he had scored 1 and 12 in the last two innings of the Asia Cup couldn't have been easy. But Surya is one of those rare Indian batters to possess better strike rates away from Asia — 203.27 in New Zealand, 201.17 in England and 185.33 in Australia. His home strike rate is 168.38.

The even bounce is a huge factor behind that, but more consequential is the natural zip on the ball that triggers Surya’s superlative instincts. It isn't without its share of risk though.