Why Suryakumar Yadav Lost His Cool at Kuldeep Yadav During T20 World Cup

Former India captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed what led to his heated reaction towards Kuldeep Yadav during India’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan.
Suryakumar explained that Kuldeep had a chance to take a catch after Shaheen Afridi attempted a big shot in the 18th over. Kuldeep missed the catch, with the ball landing outside the boundary. Suryakumar admitted he was angry because he felt Kuldeep did not make enough effort to complete the catch.

Suryakumar Yadav opens up about the incident

Suryakumar spoke about the incident while appearing on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel. He said, “The match started, and there was no time to bowl him. He was a little disappointed and wanted to bowl. I completed Axar’s spell and then bowled Tilak, Varun, and Hardik. He was like, ‘Meri bowling kyu nahi aa rahi hai?’ There was a chance of a catch when he was at long-on. He ran very casually, and it was an easy catch according to his skills. He dropped the catch, and I got angry at that time. If he dropped the catch after making an effort, that’s fine, but he did not put in any effort.”

Suryakumar also revealed that he and Kuldeep exchanged angry looks after the game. He made it clear that the moment was only banter and that there was no serious argument between them. The power hitter also explained how he came up with the idea of making a reel with the spinner after the incident.

“When we met after the match, we looked at each other in anger. He turned red in anger, and I also looked at him angrily. It looked like that on the screen, but it was banter. After landing in Ahmedabad, I got an idea about the reel. Sometimes it’s good to lighten up the moment,” he added.
India went on to beat Pakistan by 61 runs. The Salman Agha-led side were bowled out for only 114 while chasing 176. Kuldeep gave away 14 runs in three overs and picked up one wicket.

Suryakumar Reflects on His India-Pakistan Rivalry Remarks

Suryakumar Yadav stated that India vs Pakistan could no longer be called a rivalry, pointing to India’s dominance over their arch-rivals in recent years. He made the comments after India’s six-wicket win against Pakistan in the Super Fours of the 2025 Asia Cup.
The rivals met once again in the final, where India were in trouble early in the chase of 147. Suryakumar admitted that he briefly wondered whether he had said too much about the rivalry.

He further recalled the Asia Cup final, saying, “I got that feeling in the Asia Cup final itself that, ‘Kahi rivalry ke baare mein zyada to nahi bol diya (Did I speak too much)?’ We were 15/3 chasing 147, but we won after how Tilak and the whole team played.”

“We back the rivalry with good cricket. It is not that you will win no matter how you play. It has to be backed by good cricket, skill-work, practice, and hard work,” he elaborated.

India eventually secured a five-wicket victory, with Tilak Varma finishing unbeaten on 69 off 53 balls. The result further underlined Suryakumar Yadav’s statement that India have always had the upper hand against Pakistan.

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