Sawt Falasteen - Struggling Suryakumar will not adapt style to find form before T20 World Cup

His team face New Zealand in the first game of a five-match warm-up series on Wednesday in Nagpur, ahead of the World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

But Suryakumar, formerly the ICC's top-ranked T20I batsman, has scored just 244 runs across his last 22 innings in the format dating back to October 2024, without a single fifty.

"I have been batting really well (in the nets)," Suryakumar, who is set to play his 100th T20 international in the series opener, told reporters.

"And also talking about the runs, it will definitely come but at the same time I can't do things differently. I don't want to change my identity.

"What has given me success in the past three, four years, I would like to bat the same way. And then if (the) performance comes I will take it, if it doesn't I will go back to the drawing board, practise again, work hard and come back stronger."

Suryakumar, 35, boasts a punishing T20I strike-rate of 163.23, although that does drop slightly as skipper.

He took over the T20 captaincy full-time when Rohit Sharma stepped down following India's World Cup triumph in 2024.

Suryakumar has flourished as a leader despite his personal struggles with the bat, leading India to six consecutive bi-lateral series wins and victory in last year's T20 Asia Cup.

India are favourites to defend their World Cup title, sitting top of the ICC rankings and unbeaten in T20 series since a 3-2 loss to the West Indies in August 2023.

"If I have to take everyone's responsibility, then I will have to think well about the team," said Suryakumar.

"In that, I think there is no room for personal milestone. It's a team sport. Everyone has to step up; everyone has to do well."

Batter Tilak Varma and spinner Washington Sundar are both racing against time to be fit for the World Cup despite being named in the squad.

Ishan Kishan will return to the team against New Zealand for the first time since 2023 after being recalled to the squad, with Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill a surprise omission.

India were beaten at home in an ODI series by New Zealand for the first time ever earlier this month.

An under-strength Black Caps backed up their remarkable maiden Test series win in India, when they powered to a 3-0 clean sweep in 2024.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST