"You cannot lose the match if Suryakumar Yadav scores a fifty"- Navjot Singh Sidhu ahead of IND vs AUS T20 World Cup match
Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu believes Suryakumar Yadav firing on all cylinders would be key for the Men in Blue doing well against Australia. The two teams are set to lock horns in St. Lucia on Monday (June 24) in a pivotal T20 World Cup Super 8 clash.
Sidhu shed light on Suryakumar's ability to toy with the bowlers and the fielders once he is in full flow. He believes that if the No. 1 ranked T20I batter manages to get going, he has the potential to single-handedly win the game for his team.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the game, here's what Sidhu had to say about Suryakumar Yadav:
"You cannot lose the match if Suryakumar Yadav scores a fifty. He is one of the wonders of the cricketing world. He just knows in his computer (brain) where fielders aren't placed and manufacture shots in those areas at will. I will be observing Suryakumar pretty closely."
After scoring a fantastic 53 off 28 against Afghanistan, Suryakumar had a rare blip against Bangladesh in the previous game, as he scored six runs. He will be keen to stride out to the middle and dominate the Aussies.
Apart from Suryakumar Yadav, Sidhu earmarked Pat Cummins as a player to watch out for
As far as Australia are concerned, Navjot Singh Sidhu believes Pat Cummins will need to have a top spell with the new ball. Sidhu opined that the Aussies would need to prevent the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from giving their team a solid start.
On this, the former cricketer said:
"Pat Cummins will be as hungry as a wolf, fresh off a hat-trick. He is such a bowler that if he bowls with the new ball against our two engine rooms Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and if they aren't stopped, then they will set the platform on which the building (mammoth total) will be formed."
Sidhu concluded by claiming that both Suryakumar Yadav and Pat Cummins' form is so good that their impact or lack of could be the difference between a win or a loss. If India beat Australia and Afghanistan topple Bangladesh, the Aussies will miss out on a spot in the T20 World Cup semifinals.