Suryakumar Yadav shows India what they've been missing
On 18th March, 2021, Suryakumar Yadav waltzed out to bat for the first time in international cricket, amidst the blinding lights at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Prior to that, he had seen Rohit Sharma perish to Jofra Archer, with the Englishman hurling down thunderbolts.
Over the next few seconds, Suryakumar Yadav completed his pre-innings rituals, marked out his guard and set out his stall, which at that stage, had not seen a knock in international cricket.
Despite being a complete greenhorn, at least in terms of international experience, Suryakumar Yadav rocked onto the back foot and clattered Archer way over square leg for a massive maximum.
And just like he had done with the Mumbai Indians faithful, he immediately endeared himself to the billion-strong cricket-watching Indian population. Some introduction, eh?
Nevertheless, that stroke was the start of an extremely effervescent knock, instead of just being a fleeting glimpse of his capabilities. He notched up a remarkable half-century and enabled India to post an above-par total, which in lieu of the conditions was quite essential.
A couple of hours later, the Indian bowlers, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya, stifled the English batsmen, meaning that they hauled themselves level in the 5-match T20I series. More importantly, though, it made India believe that teams batting first could win matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, Suryakumar Yadav scooped up his maiden Player of the Match award.
And for a cricketer who has often enthralled audiences yet somehow always remained in the national team wilderness, the accolade seemed to be a mark of redemption. It was a clarion call that Suryakumar Yadav had indeed arrived, capturing the imagination in his inimitable style.
Suryakumar Yadav has been a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket
To put things into perspective, the right-handed batsman has been a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket. In First-Class cricket, he averages 44.01, while in List A cricket, the average stands at 37.55.
Rather impressively, he averages 31.79 and scores at a strike rate of 140.94 in the shortest format, suggesting that he has always had all the ingredients to succeed on the international stage.
Unfortunately, though, opportunities had been hard to come by, at least until England rocked up on Indian shores in 2021. And at the cost of sounding a touch poetic, it seems Suryakumar Yadav is intent on making up for lost time.
India, meanwhile, courtesy the presence of the right-hander, might just have stumbled upon an ideal recipe for world domination, that too in a span of two innings.
Contextually speaking, India have faced massive problems when batting in the middle overs. In blunter terms, the Men In Blue have regularly opted for an anchor to bat through the innings, meaning that the run rate hasn’t been great after the powerplay and before the onset of the death overs.
In fact, between 1st January 2020 and 17th March 2021, India had the 3rd worst run rate during the aforementioned phase (7.40), behind only South Africa (7.36) and Sri Lanka (7.32).
However, during that same period, when batting first, India had a tendency to post 180-plus totals 33% of the time – something that illustrates their belligerence at the start and the end of the innings, while also highlighting their sluggishness in the middle overs.
Since Suryakumar Yadav’s debut, or more specifically since he has started batting at No. 3, those statistics have sky-rocketed. In the 4th T20I, India scored 83 runs during that period, with Suryakumar Yadav accounting for 41 of those. That he amassed those runs off just 20 balls only strengthened India’s grip on the encounter.
A game later, India carted 97 runs during that nine-over tenure. Though Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were largely responsible for the carnage, Suryakumar Yadav ensured that he didn’t let the momentum slip, courtesy a 17-ball 32.
Rather encouragingly, during both of those essays, the right-handed batsman was not worried about his wicket. Instead, he was willing to increase the tempo of the innings, even if his scalp was somewhat of a bargain. While one is not trying to suggest that other cricketers are not as selfless, it perhaps says a lot that he has been dismissed only when trying expansive shots.
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In the 4th T20I, he departed to a contentious catch, which came after an attempted lap shot. On 20th March, he was trying to loft Adil Rashid over the long-on fence, only to see Chris Jordan (and Jason Roy) pull off a stunning grab.
Speaking of selflessness, Suryakumar Yadav was also the batsman who sacrificed himself for Rohit Sharma during the IPL 2020 final. Prior to it, the former had been among the runs, whereas the latter was undergoing a wretched patch.
However, on the night of the final, Suryakumar Yadav felt it was wiser to let his captain finish the run chase, despite the run-out not being Rohit’s fault.
Additionally, with Suryakumar Yadav in the mix, India can flirt with the idea of pairing Virat Kohli alongside Rohit Sharma – a tactic that bore rich fruit in the 5th T20I and might even set the ideal blueprint for the T20 World Cup.
Not only does the move allow Kohli more time to get established at the crease, it releases the handbrake off Rohit. And more often than not, that could be the ultimate death knell for the opposition.
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Suryakumar Yadav is considered a 360-degree batsman
Most tellingly, Suryakumar Yadav, unlike a lot of other contemporaries, is gifted with the ability to dominate spin bowling. He has an extraordinary range of shots, and is arguably India’s closest answer to AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Jos Buttler in terms of being a 360-degree batsman.
Suryakumar Yadav has not allowed Adil Rashid to settle into a rhythm in both matches. While he deployed the sweep shot excellently in the 4th encounter, he brought out the expansive lofted extra-cover drive a fixture later. Either way, he found a method to muddle the bowler’s thinking – something that paid rich dividends.
To put things into further perspective, the right-handed batsman scored 34 runs off Adil Rashid, despite only facing 11 deliveries. And lest one forgets, he was dismissed on one off those 11 balls, hinting that he has otherwise been flawless against spin.
Moreover, a lot of India’s other prospective top-order options, whether it be KL Rahul, Kohli, Rohit or even Shikhar Dhawan, are scratchy starters against spin. Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, is absolutely brilliant, meaning that he can effectively take the burden off the aforementioned players.
And if that isn’t enough, Suryakumar Yadav is extremely versatile, for he has the adequate ammunition to be a late-order dasher. Not just because he can play all around the park, but also because he has a superlative temperament. Not everyone can keep knocking on the national door before eventually banging it down, can they?
In the space of just two games, Suryakumar Yadav has shed light on the characteristics that have made him indispensable at the Mumbai Indians. Now it seems the same could be said for his spot in the national side.
For quite a while, India have been obsessed with preparing requisitely for the T20 World Cup, especially after their 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup adventure ended at the penultimate hurdle. To that end, they’ve been furiously rummaging for alternatives and the ideal balance.
It's a testament to their prowess that they’ve rarely lost a series in the past couple of years, despite being prone to the odd shuffling of the pack. Now, it feels that they have unearthed a formula that would allow them to completely optimize the resources at their disposal.
As for Suryakumar Yadav, it seems a tad funny that someone who has not even been in the fray (for no fault of his) has suddenly morphed into one of India’s most vital T20I components. But then again, with the sheer quality he brings to the fore, one wouldn’t really argue, would they?
After all, to show India what they’ve been missing all these years, that too in just two matches, takes some doing, doesn’t it?
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