Suryakumar Yadav's radiance lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of over 80,000 spectators on Sunday, November 6, during Team India's match against Zimbabwe in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.
Yadav struck a magnificent 25-ball 61*, lacing it with 6 boundaries and 4 sixes to push the team’s total to 186/5 in 20 overs. KL Rahul too played a crucial knock, 51 off 35 balls.
Suryakumar has been in excellent form during the championship event, scoring 225 runs in 5 games with a strike rate of almost 194, which almost begs the question if this really is the star batter's first time batting experience in Australian conditions.
In a matter of just 37 T20Is, he replaced Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan to occupy the first spot in the ICC rankings of T20I batters.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was one among many who have mesmerized by the 32-year-old’s fearless batting. Yadav was referred to as the new 360-degree batter by him.
“Each of those innings was pretty much 360 degrees. He is the new Mr. 360 degree. There was that one shot that he hit for a six just to the left of the wicketkeeper. Then he went a little squarer in the final overs, for example, taking advantage of the angle that the bowler was trying to aim at. Then also the lofted extra cover drive, he has got every shot in the book. There was a straight drive as well,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to India Today.
The Indian team found going to be tough after a couple of wickets fell in quick succession in the middle overs, however, ‘SKY’ ensured that the run rate didn’t drop and eventually lifted the team’s total to 186, while also bringing up his 3rd half-century of the tournament.
“He is actually turning out to be the player who is taking India to totals which you can defend. The score India got was the highest T20I score at the MCG. Without his 61 not out, India would not have reached even 150,” Gavaskar added.
Also underlined by the ‘Little Master’ was the need for KL Rahul to keep up the good performance after his initial struggles in the first few games of the tournament.
“I think at the moment, there are two batters who are in prime form, Kohli and Suryakumar. It was also good to see KL Rahul get yet another half-century, but he has to look to get more than that for a simple reason. If Surya doesn’t fire, then India will struggle to get 140-150. It’s therefore very important for Rahul to keep going,” he added.
The Men in Blue after registering a comprehensive 71-run victory on Sunday will meet England in the second semi-finals in Adelaide on Thursday (November 10).
(INDIA TODAY INPUTS)
