"He got a life for sure but staying there was necessary" - Aakash Chopra lauds Suryakumar Yadav's knock in IND vs USA 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Aakash Chopra has lauded Suryakumar Yadav for making the most of a reprieve by staying till the end and taking India to a win in their 2024 T20 World Cup clash against the United States of America. The unconventional batter scored an unbeaten 50 off 49 balls.
India restricted the USA to 110/8 after asking them to bat first in New York on Wednesday, June 12. The Men in Blue then chased the target down with seven wickets and 10 deliveries to spare to book their spot in the Super Eights.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on some of India's batting positives after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's early dismissals. As for Suryakumar, he said (6:15):
"Suryakumar Yadav scored runs. He takes a class of a few teams and this time that team's name was USA. Although it was a difficult pitch and runs weren't going to be scored that easily, we got to see a scoop and a sweep off Corey Anderson's bowling."
"The important thing was that he stayed till the end. He got a life for sure, (Saurabh) Netravalkar dropped a catch, but staying there was necessary, and he did that job," the former India opener added.
Suryakumar struck two fours and as many sixes in his unbeaten 50. He was dropped by Saurabh Netravalkar on 22 and he made his friend and former Mumbai cricketer pay for his lapse.
"Another box ticked" - Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube's knock
Aakash Chopra noted that Shivam Dube's knock ticked one of the other remaining unticked boxes.
"Shivam Dube was there with him. So another box ticked. Suryakumar Yadav - 50, box ticked. Arshdeep Singh - four wickets, box ticked because he was proving expensive earlier. Now Shivam Dube, that was the last box that wasn't getting ticked, and that too has happened. He scored runs which included a good six. He stayed till the end and I feel he too will play better once he leaves from here," he elaborated (6:40).
The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that Rishabh Pant (18 off 20) was also playing well before he fell prey to a delivery that kept low.
"Rishabh Pant was once again looking very good. The form he has had and the way he has played, he was batting incredibly well, but then one ball kept low. It's like that here, it climbs sometimes and stays low on other occasions. The ball hit his stumps," Chopra stated.
Pant's dismissal left India in a spot of bother at 44/3. Suryakumar and Dube then stitched together an unbroken 67-run partnership to take the team over the line.