Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav’s batting brilliance was once again on display at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7 during the third T20I against Sri Lanka. He slammed his third T20I century in the match, powering India to a series win. His knock left the fans and the experts in awe of his batting talent. Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir too hailed the stylish right-handed batter.
Suryakumar Yadav smashed 112 runs off just 51 deliveries with seven boundaries and nine sixes. His knock led India to 228 runs, which they successfully defended winning the match by 91 runs. During a discussion on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir lauded the 32-year-old. He stated that he is short of words to express how Suryakumar Yadav batted in the match. Gambhir said,
“I don’t have words for the way he has batted. I can say one thing for sure – he should be included in the Test team, the sort of player he is. He didn’t play any shots where he took a risk. All these shots are in his armory. Many players, when they play the lap, you feel whether they will be able to play it or not. It is all his natural ability to convert that into that consistency that Suryakumar Yadav has done.”
“We all need to remember that the entire knock was played after the powerplay. You can imagine at what strike rate he has batted after the powerplay, so he is India’s most valuable batter in T20 cricket,” he added.
From extra cover to fine leg, what more range can you see from a player’s bat? – Gautam Gambhir hails Suryakumar Yadav
Gautam Gambhir further discussed Suryakumar Yadav’s knock against Sri Lanka. He expressed that a player needs mental toughness to play premeditated shots. The former cricketer added that Suryakumar Yadav’s batting range is outstanding. Speaking about the right-handed batter’s performance, Gautam Gambhir said,
“The first thing is that you need a lot of mental toughness to premeditate those shots. You need to have the skill as you can be hit by the ball at times. He has not done it against these bowlers only. I remember the six he hit off Jofra Archer, who bowls at more than 145 kph, in Ahmedabad on his T20I debut.”
“Anyone can play the lap, everyone practices it as well but to have the mental toughness to play against a pace of more than 145 kph. A lot of players play this shot because they don’t have the ability to hit over mid-off but the range you have seen from extra cover to fine leg, what more range can you see from a player’s bat?,” he added.
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