“His Sledging Was On Another Level”- Suryakumar Yadav Recalls His Clash With Virat Kohli In IPL 2020

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has revealed the whole story behind his face-off with Virat Kohli during a match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2020, asserting that the former RCB skipper was at his best in sledging the opposition that night.

It was the 48th match of IPL 2020, the 13th edition of the tournament. The match was being played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Mumbai Indians, winning the toss, elected to field first. RCB set a decent target of 166 runs, for Mumbai Indians. In reply, MI lost two quick wickets, but Suryakumumar’s magnificent half-century helped MI carry on towards the target.

During his batting, Suryakumar hit the ball towards Kohli, who picked it up, walked up to the MI batter, and gave him a lengthy stare of considerable seconds. Nevertheless, Kohli’s strategy didn’t work as the middle-order batter kept scoring runs. The 29-year-old scored a neat knock of 79 off 43, not out.

Suryakumar Yadav, in an informal chatter with actor, television, and cricket presenter Gaurav Kapur on his popular YouTube show ‘Breakfast with Champions,’ said: “That’s his style. His energy level on the ground is always different. And that game was extremely important for both teams so Virat’s sledging was on another level in that match. I was focus on myself, like ‘boss, you cannot lose focus and have to win the match at any cost’. The ball went to him and he made that action from there and it was very instinctive.”

I looked at him right after the match – Suryakumar Yadav

Despite the sledging, Suryakumar preferred to remain quiet. He didn’t respond to Kohli and kept his composure, to record his prime of the season.  He further told: “I remember I was chewing gum and inside my heartbeat is racing knowing that he is walking at me. He isn’t saying anything, I wasn’t saying anything. I was saying to myself ‘no matter what happens, do not say a word. It’s a matter of 10 seconds. After this, a new over will begin. This won’t last long. So the situation passed. I then saw him right after the match.”

Suryakumar Yadav’s knock helped MI to win the match by five wickets. Suryakumar, seventh in the list for the orange cap of IPL 2020, went on to score 480 runs in 15 innings, at an average of 40.00, with four half-centuries. Mumbai Indians went on to win the tournament for the record-breaking fifth time.

Written by Prachi Pisal