Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has praised Suryakumar Yadav on his phenomenal stroke play during the first T20I between the Indian and Australian teams and the way the Indian captain had toiled with the bowlers. Chopra indicated that the orthodox assortment of shots by Suryakumar tends to compel the bowlers to alter their strategies only to find themselves in his trap.
India and Australia played the first T20I in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29 that was called off because of rain. By the time the play was called off, India had a score of 97/1 in 9.4 overs and Suryakumar Yadav was yet to be dismissed with a personal score of 39 off 24 balls. Chopra examined the way Suryakumar gathers his major part of the scores between midwicket and a fine leg, which is a place where he always takes the lead.
“When the runs come in that area, the story becomes easy. To be fair, the kind of pitch this was or the Australian pitches will be, this shot becomes more productive. He has to hit one shot, and then the bowler goes off plan, where he should bowl next, that he has to do something else, and then you walk into a trap where Suryakumar Yadav hits you a lot,” Chopra said on Star Sports.
AChopra lauded the top-order batsman for his outstanding consistency while playing unconventional strokes, emphasizing Suryakumar’s skill set. The Indian captain demonstrated his talent during the quick bat, blasting three fours and two sixes in his undefeated effort. He made his intentions clear early, blasting Josh Hazlewood for a six off the fourth ball he faced. Later, he finished the innings in style, sending Nathan Ellis over the boundary for another maximum off what would be the game’s penultimate ball.
“The expectation is that this is just the start. The power he generates while taking the bat upwards from below is a rare skill. He has an incredible quality. You are praiseworthy if you can consistently score runs despite playing risky shots, and that’s why he has reigned in the T20 format for a long time.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra was also asked about the relevance of Suryakumar’s innings, given his dismal T20I efforts earlier this year. The former India opener stated that the knock will be a timely boost for Suryakumar. He went on to say that such an innings will benefit Suryakumar in the long run.
“He needed to score runs. You are the captain of a winning team and you have a lot of experience and pedigree as well, so there weren’t any question marks as such, but there are murmurs at times. When you go to the ground with a bat in hand, you are a batter first and a captain later.”
Aakash Chopra
“He has the unique skill of forcing the bowlers to bowl where he wants. However, scoring runs was imperative because when a captain scores runs, his decision-making ability remains at the top. Then you don’t think about anything else and can do things instinctively. It was important for the captain to be seen in his Surya avatar.”
Aakash Chopra
