"He is the flagbearer of India's new T20 template" - Aakash Chopra picks Suryakumar Yadav as India's T20I player of the year
Aakash Chopra has picked Suryakumar Yadav as India's best T20I player of the last calendar year.
Suryakumar smashed 1164 runs at an excellent average of 46.56 and an outstanding strike rate of 187.43 in the 31 T20Is he played in 2022. He was the only batter in the world to cross the 1000-run mark in the shortest format last year.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was all praise for Suryakumar, saying:
"There was a lot of T20 cricket played last year and one guy absolutely shone - Suryakumar Yadav. He is the flagbearer of India's new T20 template. Suryakumar Yadav's graph kept climbing continuously. He batted in a different style."
The former Indian opener highlighted that Team India did not have a great year in T20I cricket otherwise, elaborating:
"We all expected that when the T20 World Cup happens, KL Rahul - who plays very good T20 cricket, Virat Kohli - who had come back in form, Rohit Sharma - who doesn't take the name of stopping, Rishabh Pant, and Dinesh Karthik - our new finisher, that our year will be very good, but the year was not good."
The Men in Blue were eliminated from the T20 World Cup at the semi-final stage after a hammering at the hands of England. Rohit Sharma and Co. also failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup ahead of the global event.
"It's also an inspiration" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav's meteoric rise
Chopra pointed out that Suryakumar longed to get a chance to play for India a couple of years ago, observing:
"It's also an inspiration, a learning for all of us, it seems at times that we cannot go further in life and things cannot change. When I met him two years back, he was feeling that it would be enough if he could get the chance to play for India."
The reputed commentator praised the Mumbai batter for making the best of the opportunity he got, stating:
"He had not left hope but wasn't sure if he would get the chance or not, but he got the opportunity and he did so well, struck two T20I centuries and is placed No. 1 in the ICC rankings."
Chopra concluded by putting the Mumbai Indians (MI) player on a high pedestal, saying:
"Whether you are Indian or not, you don't doubt that Suryakumar Yadav has been the best T20 batter of 2022. When he has been the best in the world, there is no doubt that he would be the best for India."
🏏 @surya_14kumar and @BhuviOfficial are our Top Performers in T20Is for 2022 👏💪
#TeamIndia https://t.co/pRmzxl8TDm
Chopra also picked Gujarat Titans' (GT) IPL 2022 triumph as another defining moment for India in T20 cricket. He reasoned that it suddenly elevated Hardik Pandya as a captaincy candidate for the Men in Blue.
Also Read: "Virat Kohli was at the other end but it seemed Rishabh Pant was batting on a different planet altogether" - Aakash Chopra