Suryakumar Yadav played possibly the best innings of his life on Sunday (October 30) at Perth on one of the quickest and bounciest pitches in the world against a top-class pace bowling attack of South Africa.
Yadav hammered 68 off just 40 balls at a strike rate of 170 in a game where no other batter who faced more than 10 balls struck at more than 130.
With wickets tumbling at the other end, Yadav’s knock was critical in taking India’s score to 133/9 in 20 overs. The rest of the Indian team could only manage 57 runs off 80 balls.
Veteran South Africa cricketer Faf du Plessis praised Suryakumar, stating that his ability to execute shots all over the park makes it difficult for bowlers to keep the star batter quiet for long.
"His skillset is so high that as a bowler you don't feel like you can tie him down to certain areas. He's got all the different shots, scores in all the different areas," Du Plessis was quoted as saying on the ESPNcricinfo show T20 Time: Out.
Additionally, he commended the 32-year-old's poise and not playing frivolous shots while under pressure.
"The thing that stands out for me with him is his composure. With a guy who has got so many shots, I almost never see him be frantic and feel rushed. He's just got this calmness about him," he stated.
Faf’s admiration for Surya was extended by his comment that the Indian batter is the perfect guy for youngsters to learn from on how to bat at different gears depending on the match situation.
"He knows when to pull that trigger, go through the gears, and he just always looks calm. He's just a fantastic T20 player to watch. He's the perfect guy that, as a youngster, you look at how you go through different gears at different stages of the game," Du Plessis added.
The second innings of the match began with the young Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami bowling an immaculate opening spell which reduced the Proteas to 24/3.
However, a 76-run stand between Aiden Markram (52 off 41 balls) and David Miller (59* off 46 balls) got the Proteas back in the game. With only two balls left, they finally made it to the finish line.
Rohit Sharma and Co. will next face Zimbabwe on Wednesday (November 02) in Melbourne.
(ESPNcricinfo Inputs)
