“Happy that he sledged me” – Suryakumar Yadav on his IPL 2020 battle with Virat Kohli
Suryakumar Yadav has opened up about his iconic face-off with Virat Kohli during IPL 2020. The batsman admitted he was happy to have Virat Kohli take shots at him, pointing out how it helped him understand the price of his wicket that day.
Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli gave fans one of the best moments of the IPL last year. Virat Kohli was seen firing a few words at Suryakumar Yadav throughout the chase, with the duo even coming face to face on one occasion.
The Mumbai Indians batsman took part in an Instagram Live session for MI TV, where he looked back at the headline-grabbing incident.
"I was happy that he sledged me. It means even Kohli knew that if I bat on, we will win the match and if they got my wicket, then maybe they could slow us down and create a chance to win,” Yadav explained.
Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav famously came together during the Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore game in IPL 2020. Suryakumar Yadav led the chase that day after MI were set a target of 165 by RCB.
With the Mumbai Indians batsman going strong, Virat Kohli was seen sledging Suryakumar Yadav. The duo came face to face in the 13th over, with Virat Kohli firing a few words at Suryakumar Yadav while shining the ball. But the MI batsman showed remarkable maturity to stand his ground against the Indian skipper, calmly diffusing the situation by walking away from him.
Suryakumar Yadav later let his bat do the talking, notching up an unbeaten 79 in a Man of the Match effort to take his team over the line.
Clash with Kohli one of my fiercest moments admits Suryakumar Yadav
During the live session, Suryakumar Yadav was also asked to discuss his fiercest rivalry. While the batsman admitted his clash with Virat Kohli wasn’t a rivalry, it could be classified as one of his fiercest moments.
“It's not just me, he (Virat Kohli) goes hard at any batsman batting against him. I am a cool and calm customer on the pitch, so I don't get into these rivalries. But there was that moment in Abu Dhabi, so I guess that can go down as one," Yadav admitted.
Both Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have played down the incident in recent months. The duo has since enjoyed a great relationship in the national side, with Kohli and Suryakumar linking up brilliantly during the T20I series against England earlier this year.