Suryakumar Yadav's T20I career began in the most spectacular way possible in 2021 when he hit a flick off Jofra Archer's bowling for a six. Since then, his graph in international cricket has only gone up.
The right-hander has accumulated 682 runs in 20 games this year while captivating the masses with his audacious batting, averaging nearly 38 and striking out at an astounding rate of 182.84.
Yadav’s performance against Australia in the 3-match T20I series was remarkable as he smashed 115 runs at a strike rate of over 180.
There has been a growing debate in the cricket fraternity as to whether the 32-year-old is the best batter in the shortest format going around in international cricket.
However, according to former India selector Saba Karim, the real test for Suryakumar will be to perform well against quality opponents in multi-national events.
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“Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as a match-winner for India. I am still waiting for him to score a big score against top-quality opposition in a big tournament, and I will only then label him as the best T20I cricketer in modern-day cricket. That opportunity is coming up for Suryakumar and I want him to replicate his form in T20 World Cup,” Karim told India News.
“Suryakumar possesses all the qualities required in a batter. He scored runs against a strong bowling and fielding attack in the middle-order. He has an incredible range of shots but must deliver in T20 World Cup to be counted among world-class batters,” he added.
Karim further highlighted that Yadav’s ability to hit the ball to any part of the ground has always put the opposition bowlers under pressure.
“He is an unpredictable batter and it’s tough to bowl such players. If a batter can play three different shots off the same delivery, imagine the pressure on the bowler,” he reasoned.
Suryakumar will be next seen in action on Wednesday (September 28) when the Men in Blue takes on South Africa in the first of the 3-match T20I series.
(INDIA NEWS INPUTS)
