Suryakumar Yadav opens on acquiring celebrity status: “Everywhere I’m going, I have been chased by people”
Team India’s new batting star Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that he has witnessed a rise in his popularity over the last few months, a result of his brilliance with the willow in 2022. He stated that he is still getting used to being mobbed by fans as it is something new for him.
Suryakumar, 32, is the leading run-getter in T20Is in 2022. In 31 games, he has clobbered 1164 runs at an average of 46.56 and an exceptional strike rate of 187.43. He has notched up two hundreds and nine fifties in the shortest format this year.
Apart from the volume of runs, the right-handed batter has wowed fans with his 360-degree batting exploits, even drawing comparisons with legendary South African AB de Villiers. In a chat with The Indian Express, Suryakumar was asked if he could feel the change in his stature as a cricketer. He confessed:
“Everywhere I’m going, I have been chased by people, which is new for me. Every Indian I met in Australia or New Zealand, even at the Singapore airport, a couple screamed “Suryakumar Yadav, how are you.” I was shocked and wondered why they are doing this, aisa mein kya kar diya (what have I done)?. I ran to catch my flight.
“There has been a change for sure. I’m the same as before, just my time has changed. Now the family knows that it won’t be easy to travel with them. Earlier we used to go out for family dinners or a movie. These are the things I enjoyed, but now I know there will be restrictions.”
Suryakumar made his first-class debut for Mumbai back in 2010. But it was only after a couple of exceptional seasons for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL that the national selectors gave him a look-in.
“I feel I’m close”- Suryakumar Yadav on playing Test cricket
While Suryakumar has played some sensational knocks in white-ball cricket, he is yet to play a Test for India. Asked if he felt he was good enough for the traditional version of the game, the batter asserted:
“I feel I’m close. I have played this format. I have an idea of red-ball cricket because we all start from red-ball cricket. Yes, conditions are challenging but if you can apply your mind and alter your game, you can succeed.”
Suryakumar is part of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy 2022-23 squad that will take on Hyderabad at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, starting December 20. The right-handed batter has the experience of 77 first-class matches, scoring 5326 runs at an average of 44.01.