The charismatic middle-order batter, Suryakumar Yadav is arguably in the form of his life. The flamboyant cricketer smashed 61 off 25 balls against Zimbabwe and moved third in the list of top run-scorers in the ongoing 20-20 World Cup 2022 and also became the first international cricketer to smash more than 1000 runs in a single calendar year. He has proved himself to be the new ‘Mr. 360-degree’ player as time and again, he has shown capabilities of hitting the ball all around the park.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is thus very impressed with the 32-year-old. Lauding him for his brilliance against the Chevrons, the former cricketer called Suryakumar a ‘player from a different planet’. Meanwhile, his former bowling partner Waqar Younis was mesmerized by the Indian batter and said that the bowlers have nowhere to go against him.
“I think he’s come from a different planet. He is totally different from anybody else. The amount of runs he has scored…he’s just a treat to watch and not just against Zimbabwe, against the top bowling attacks in the world,” Akram said while talking to A Sports.
“What’s the best way to get him out in T20s? I mean in ODIs and Tests you can plan and get him out. But in T20, anyway the bowler is on backfoot and when someone is in this sort of form it is very difficult to bowl at him. I think Pakistan did well against him in the previous game, they bombarded him with short deliveries. Maybe that’s the only way to go,” the 56-year-old added.
“Bowler jaye to jaye kahan?” is what Waqar added in the middle.
Suryakumar gone from strength to strength: Rohit Sharma
The number four spot bothered the Men in Blue for quite some time in the past. However, with the emergence of Suryakumar in international cricket, captain Rohit Sharma has been much more relaxed about his middle order. With a strike rate of 193.96, the swashbuckling cricketer can take pressure off the other batter and can play his natural cricket to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is thus very impressed with Suryakumar Yadav and hailed him for his incredible performance for the side in the ongoing tournament.
“The dugout can really be at ease when he bats, and he’s shown a lot of composure when he’s batted. We expected this from him, and he’s gone from strength to strength. What SKY is doing for the team is remarkable, just coming out there, playing that way, taking the pressure off the others. We know his ability, and it allows the guy at the other end to take his time,” the captain said in the post-match conference.
