Ever since Suryakumar Yadav hit 61 off 25 deliveries against Zimbabwe, he has been the talk of the town. Based on his brilliant performance with the bat, the 32-year-old is now the number one ranked T20I batter in the world and also, the third-leading run scorer in the ongoing 20-20 World tournament. He has stunned one and all with his majestic performance so far and especially former India opener Virender Sehwag, who termed his shots to be ‘next to impossible.’
He has the unique ability to hit the balls all around the park and that’s what makes him a very difficult player to bowl at. His strike rate of 193.96 is the highest among the top 50 run-scorers in the tournament and that also proves how efficient he has been. Against the Chevrons, the middle-order batter even smashed balls on the off stumps over fine leg and thus, the bowlers hardly have any room to go at.
“Wherever he wants to direct his shot, even if it’s not the right ball for that, he will make it reach there. He can guide an off stump wide over the wicketkeeper to fine leg for a six. Such shots are next to impossible. But it’s Suryakumar, so it’s possible. If he wants to smack it to the covers, it’s Suryakumar, so it’s possible. If it needs to be launched over the bowler, it’s Suryakumar, so it’s possible,” the former cricketer said after India’s 71-run win over the Craig Ervine-led side.
He’s come from a different planet: Wasim Akram
The Mumbai-born cricketer has finally become India’s much-needed solution in the middle order. He is not just scoring the runs but releasing pressure from other batters to help India reach a competitive total. Now, just like Virender Sehwag, former Pakistan international Wasim Akram is flabbergasted by Suryakumar Yadav’s innings and called him a player from a different planet.
“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.
