He spent 199 minutes in the middle at the Police Gymkhana ground, Marine Drive, Mumbai.
Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has sent a warning ahead of the ODI series against South Africa with his terrific form in the ongoing Automotive Manufacturing-74th Police Invitation Shield Cricket Tournament 2021, organized under the auspices of MCA, at the Police Gymkhana ground, Marine Drive.
On Friday, December 24, Suryakumar smashed a majestic double century (249) to put his club Parsee Gymkhana in a strong position, posting a massive total of 524/9 in their first innings of 90 overs on the first day of the three-day final of the Police Shield against defending champions Payyade Sports Club.
The right-hander notched up 249 runs off 152 balls and the knock was laced with 37 boundaries and five sixes. He was involved in two substantial partnerships with Aditya Tare (73) and Sachin Yadav (63). He added 124 runs with Tare for the fourth wicket and 209 runs with Sachin for the fifth wicket in Mumbai.
He spent 199 minutes in the middle and was finally dismissed by Pradeep Sahu. After his knock, Yadav expressed his elation as he was happy to return to his form after his poor show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he managed 14, 8, 49, and 4 for Mumbai.
Yadav told Times of India: “When I came to bat after lunch, I looked to attack, play my natural game. Since the ground is small, I was getting boundaries a bit easier once I found the gaps. I only came to know about my double-century when my teammates applauded me. My aim was that we score so many runs on Day One that they’re out of the game already. Scoring big runs in a final gives any batsman confidence going into a series.”
He further explained, “In Vijay Hazare, I was batting in my natural, positive aggressive style, which has always reaped so much success for me, there too. I was out while playing my shots, but they weren’t rash, lazy shots. This is how I will continue to bat, because if I’m doing well in 7-8 innings out of 10, then why should I think so deeply about the two times I got out while playing an attacking shot? This is the approach at the crease which has helped me play for the club, Mumbai, and India.”
Well, international stars don’t often turn out for their club in local cricket, but Yadav did, since he is very emotionally attached to the Parsee Gymkhana, from where he started his cricketing journey.
He signed off by saying, “I’m very emotionally attached to the Parsee Gymkhana. This is where my cricketing journey started. My commitment towards my club is 200%. This is the first time that we were playing in the Police Shield final after 1957, so it’s a big game for our club. I’ve played only for this club in my life. It’s due to playing for Parsee Gymkhana that I played for Mumbai and then eventually India.”
Brief Score: Parsee Gymkhana 524-9 in 90 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 249, Aditya Tare 73, Sachin Yadav 63, Vikrant Auti 52; Siddhesh Lad 3-40) vs Payyade SC
(With TOI Inputs)