"Don't see Surya fielding in the slips often" - Virat Kohli's childhood coach thrilled with Indian star's fielding
Former Delhi cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma was highly impressed with Indian vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav's fielding in the third T20I against New Zealand.
'SKY' has often won the hearts of fans and others in the cricketing world with his batting performances. However, he was sensational on the field on Wednesday (February 1) as he grabbed three catches, including two identical stunners at first slip in the powerplay.
Speaking to India News, here's what Rajkumar Sharma had to say about Suryakumar Yadav's fielding:
"You don't see Surya fielding in the slips often. But because [Shubman] Gill wasn't on the field he was stationed there and pulled off two incredible catches. He timed his jump to perfection on both occasions and showed how agile he is.
"Even his third catch in the deep was great as he knew exactly where the boundary line was. This shows how focused he is on the field too."
Rajkumar also spoke about captain Hardik Pandya completing his quota of overs and also making the new ball talk. He added:
"Really happy with the way Hardik Pandya is bowling with the new ball. He always had the pace, but now he is also hitting the right areas and getting the ball to move both ways. It's great that he has improved his fitness and now he leads the attack which is a bit inexperienced in a way."
This is a win for India's youngsters: Reetinder Sodhi
Former cricketer Reetinder Sodhi, who was also present on the panel, hailed the Men in Blue's young brigade for stepping up and proving their mettle.
The likes of Shubman Gill, Umran Malik and Washington Sundar made the most of their chances against New Zealand. They have now given the selectors a good headache to have with respect to the team's depth.
On this, Sodhi stated:
"This is a 10/10 performance from India because this is a win for the youngsters. They needed to prove a point with the seniors rested and performed really well.
"Arshdeep [Singh] showed glimpses of getting back in the groove and Umran wreaked havoc with his pace. Hardik Pandya also was impressive as a bowler and Shubman was awesome."
One Happy Bunch 😊
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India's next assignment will be the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy, beginning on February 9.