India captain Suryakumar Yadav returned to form with a vital half-century on Friday. Walking into bat with his team 6/2, Yadav stroked a counter-attacking half-century to get back amongst the runs in the IND vs NZ 2nd T20I. It was SKY's first fifty in 23 innings in the format, ending a 468-day wait to reach the milestone.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav returned to form ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Yadav's form has been a major talking point in the build up to the tournament. The 33-year-old has faced immense scrutiny for the same, even as India have turned inot a serial winning side in the shortest format of the game.

Yadav shifted some of that pressure with a vital half-century on Friday. Walking into bat with his team 6/2, Yadav stroked a counter-attacking half-century to get back amongst the runs. It was SKY's first fifty in 23 innings in the format, ending a 468-day wait to reach the milestone.

With Ishan Kishan batting in full flow, Suryakumar Yadav got himself going with a few a singles. The Indian captain played anchor while his partner blasted the Kiwi attack to all parts of the ground.

It was only in the 9th over when Surya well and truly arrived. With Zachary Foulkes bowling, the Mumbai Indians ace launched a brutal attack. SKY got four consecutive boundaries and then cleared the fence with a maximum en route picking up 24 from the over.

That powered Suryakumar into another gear. While the 33-year-old has struggled over the past year or so, he showed no signs of those faults in Raipur. His trademark shots behind the wicket were back and so were his manipulation of the field.

He eventually remained unbeaten to see off the chase with more than 4 overs to spare. SKY remained unbeaten on 82 off just 37 balls, lacing it with 9 boundaries and 4 sixes.

With two weeks to go for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, it is a welcome boost for the captain to get some runs under his belt. A firing Suryakumar Yadav only adds further venom to an already dangerous and imperious Indian T20I side.