India captain Suryakumar Yadav has brushed aside concerns over his batting slump, insisting that he is not out of form but simply short of runs at the moment. Following India’s triumphant Asia Cup 2025 campaign, where they lifted their ninth title after defeating arch-rival in the final on September 28 in Dubai, Suryakumar admitted he is eager to rediscover his run-scoring touch.

India defeated its rival by 5 wickets, completing a third win over their rivals in the tournament, but the chase of 147 did not begin smoothly. The top order collapsed with Abhishek Sharma (12), Shubman Gill (5), and captain Suryakumar (1) falling early. For the skipper, it was his fourth single-digit score of the competition, further extending his run-scoring slump. Speaking after the game, however, he clarified that he does not view this as a form issue, only a temporary lack of runs.

“I feel that when it comes to form, I believe more in what I’m doing in the nets. How spot-on I am with my preparation is what I really focus on. Once the match starts, everything runs on autopilot. So if you’re saying I’m out of form, I don’t think that’s the case — I’m not out of form, I’m just out of runs. I believe the runs will come if you keep practising and with God watching from above, if you keep working hard, everything will fall into place at the right time. It’s happening for others now; who knows what happens next?”

Despite the early setbacks, India’s middle order held firm. Tilak Verma rose to the occasion with a composed knock, stitching a 57-run stand with Sanju Samson and later an unbroken 60-run partnership with Shivam Dube to guide India home. The batting effort backed up a strong performance from the bowlers, particularly the spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, who dismantled the opponent's middle order and restricted them to 146 despite a promising start from their openers.

However, the final wasn’t without drama off the field. The post-match presentation ceremony descended into controversy as the Indian players were denied their winners’ medals and trophy during the celebrations. The team eventually went up on the podium only after the dignitaries had left, celebrating without any silverware in hand. To add to the chaos, an ACC official was seen hastily carrying the trophy away on the instructions of PCB and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi, who had earlier been snubbed by the Indian players from presenting the award.

For Suryakumar, though, the Asia Cup marked a milestone, his first major title as India skipper. While his batting wasn’t at its fluent best, his leadership came through strongly, and he remains confident that the runs will follow soon enough.