"Aap bol rahe ho ke KL bhai ko nahi khilana chahiye?" - When Suryakumar Yadav came up with a cheeky reply to a tricky query
Team India's T20I batting star Suryakumar Yadav is celebrating his 34th birthday on Saturday, September 14. The right-handed batter made a belated international debut in March 2021 but has quickly established himself as an indispensable member of the T20I squad. He has played 37 ODIs as well but failed to grab the opportunities that came his way.
Speaking of Suryakumar's T20I numbers, though, they are sensational. In 71 matches, he has smashed 2432 runs at an average of 42.66 and a strike rate of 168.65, with four hundreds and 20 half-centuries. He played a crucial role in India's 2024 T20 World Cup win and was named the new T20I captain following Rohit Sharma's retirement from the format.
Apart from being a dashing batter on the cricket field, the 34-year-old is a chilled-out character outside the ground. He enjoys having fun with teammates and at press conferences as well. One of the instances of the latter was observed during the 2022 Asia Cup when he handed a tricky query with aplomb and wit to add to it.
The 2022 Asia Cup marked the comeback of KL Rahul following an injury layoff. Opening the innings, he was dismissed for a golden duck by Naseem Shah in the game against Pakistan and made a slow 36 off 39 against Hong Kong.
Suryakumar, who was Player of the Match for his 68* off 26 in the game against Hong Kong, was asked at the post-match presser whether he would be seen opening the innings as part of India’s experiments. He came up with an extremely cheeky reply to the tricky query and asked the journalist with a smile:
“Aap bol rahe ho ke KL bhai ko nahi khilana chahiye? (So you mean to say that KL should be dropped?).”
Speaking of his knock in the Asia Cup 2022 match against Hong Kong, Suryakumar slammed six fours and an equal number of sixes in his 39-minute stay at the crease. He featured in an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket with Virat Kohli, who contributed 59* off 44, with the aid of one four and three sixes.
Suryakumar led India to 3-0 T20I series win in Sri Lanka
In his first assignment after being named T20I captain, the 34-year-old led India to a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue beat the Lankans by 43 runs in the first match in Pallekele and seven wickets in the second game. The third match ended in a thrilling tie, which India won in the Super Over.
Skipper Suryakumar was Player of the Match for his 26-ball 58 in the first T20I. The right-handed contributed 26 off 12 in the next game. In the tied encounter, he was out for 8, but chipped in with the ball, picking up two wickets in one over.