T20 World Cup 2022: "Surya on one side and the rest of the team on the other" - Aakash Chopra picks Suryakumar Yadav as the positive for India
Aakash Chopra has picked Suryakumar Yadav as the biggest positive for India from their T20 World Cup 2022 loss against South Africa.
Yadav smoked 68 runs off 40 deliveries to help the Men in Blue set a challenging 134-run target for the Proteas in Perth on Sunday, October 30. Although the Indian seamers picked up three early wickets, Aiden Markram and David Miller's half-centuries helped South Africa register a five-wicket win.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about the positives for India from the loss versus South Africa. He responded:
"Suryakumar Yadav. Just to put things in perspective, he scored 68 off 40 balls. After that, there were 80 balls left, the entire team together made 57 runs. Surya on one side and the rest of the team on the other."
Chopra highlighted that India's Mr. 360 scored his runs at a brisk pace against a formidable attack. The former India opener explained:
"India versus Pakistan was the most hyped game, India versus South Africa was the most difficult game. It was the ground in Perth with four fast bowlers in the opposition team. It was not only about the runs on that pitch, he also went at a strike rate of 150."
Gautam Gambhir said - "For me, Suryakumar Yadav's today innings against South Africa is the best T20 innings that has been played by an Indian in the history." (To Star Sports)
Yadav struck six fours and three sixes during his innings. He had a strike rate of 170, while none of the other frontline Indian batters scored at a strike rate of more than 110.
"He showed that he was playing on a different pitch" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav
Chopra pointed out that Yadav singlehandedly took India to a fighting total when they were in dire straits. He elaborated:
"India were 49/5. Generally, teams get all out for 110 from there, but once again when Suryakumar batted, he showed that he was playing on a different pitch and against different bowlers. The bowlers who had troubled the Indian batters so much, he hit fours and sixes against them both in front and behind the wickets."
The reputed commentator concluded by putting the Mumbaikar on a high pedestal. He said:
"Let's go a step further, Suryakumar Yadav has been India's most intimidating batter from the last World Cup until now. No one is even close to him at the moment. He is brilliant."
Suryakumar Yadav's strike rate in T20Is:
•In career - 177.03
•At home - 181.25
•At away - 174.11
•Batting 1st - 183.20
•Batting 2nd - 168.77
•In Winning - 178.85
•At No.4 - 184.11
•At No.5 - 171.28
•In 2022 - 183.69
•Vs SA - 185.15
•Vs AUS - 185.48
•Vs ENG - 195.49
Yadav has amassed 935 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 183.69 in the 26 T20Is he has played this year. The Mumbai Indians batter has struck a century and eight half-centuries in this period, including two fifties in the ongoing T20 World Cup.