"Suryakumar Yadav astonished both me and Jofra Archer" - VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman has said that Suryakumar Yadav's first-ball six off Jofra Archer left both him and the bowler dumbfounded.
Yadav pulled the first ball he faced in international cricket for a six over fine leg, doing so against the express pace of Jofra Archer. It was one of the many breathtaking shots he played during his enterprising 57-run knock.
While reviewing the fourth India-England T20I on Star Sports, VVS Laxman lauded Suryakumar Yadav for his positive mindset, while terming his six against Archer a 'spectacular' shot.
"Spectacular, he astonished both me and Jofra Archer. His mindset is praiseworthy. He even told Murali Kartik that he wanted to keep it simple. If you complicate things too much, you forget at times what your strengths are and what is your template of scoring runs," said Laxman.
The former player spoke in glowing terms about Suryakumar Yadav's shot selection and his ease against the English pacers.
"The timing we saw today, the way he placed the ball and the manner in which he was coming behind the line of the ball while playing the pacers and playing creative shots according to the field," added Laxman.
Suryakumar Yadav's 57 runs came off just 31 deliveries and were studded with six fours and three sixes as he looked comfortable against both pace and spin.
He was, however, unlucky to be given out, as there was no conclusive evidence against Dawid Malan taking a clean catch, which could have overturned the on-field decision of 'out.'
"Suryakumar Yadav is a match-winner" - VVS Laxman
VVS Laxman was particularly effusive about the inside-out six Suryakumar Yadav smacked off Adil Rashid, while praising the right-hander for his all-round game.
"When the spinners came, (he played) fantastic shots. My favourite was the maximum he hit over extra-cover against Adil Rashid. He can play the sweep as well, so he is an all-round player and because of that, his strike rate is always high, and he is a match-winner," said Laxman.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Bangar has pointed out that the experience Suryakumar Yadav gained while playing in domestic cricket and the IPL held him in good stead.
"His knock shows how much confidence he has in his ability. And when a ripened player comes, because he has spent so many years in domestic cricket and in the IPL, his skills are sharpened and when you have the full self-confidence then only you can play such shots and that too against Jofra Archer, who is one of the world's fastest and best bowlers," said Bangar.
Suryakumar Yadav has amassed 3624 runs in 172 T20s. He particularly rose to prominence with his exploits for the Mumbai Indians in the last three IPL seasons. So a maiden India call-up for the ongoing T20I series against England was a just reward.