T20 World Cup 2024

‘I just try and time it’ – Suryakumar Yadav reveals the secret behind his unconventional shots

Suryakumar Yadav left the cricketing fraternity awestruck with his breathtaking innings of 61 off 25 balls against Zimbabwe on Sunday at the MCG. SKY put on a magnificent exhibition of versatile strokeplay which fetched him praise from several legendary cricketers. Revealing the secret behind his outrageous shots, the right-handed batter stated that he’s been practising these shots from a long time.

“I have practised that stroke a lot when I used to play rubber-ball cricket,” Suryakumar Yadav told Star Sports. Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar called him a ‘Mr 360 cricketer’, while former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram said ‘he is from a different planet.’

The 32-year-old was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ for his match-defining knock. Some of the shots in his innings brought the crowd to the edge of their seats. When asked about his scoop shots he said “You got to understand what the bowler is going to bowl at that time, which is a little pre-determined at that moment.”

The swashbuckling batter hit six boundaries and four sixes making the fourth-fastest fifty in the history of the 20-20 World Cup. “You got to know how long the boundary behind is. When I stand there, I feel it’s just 60-65 meters and with the pace of the ball I just try and time it, take it on the sweet spot of the bat and if it hits, it just goes out there,” he added.

If you have to bat with Virat Bhai then you have to run hard: Suryakumar Yadav

When asked about handling pressure he revealed how he tries to hit the gaps and run as hard as possible. SKY further said “If you have to bat with Virat Bhai then you have to run hard as well. But I try and do that, hit it in the gaps and run hard.”

During the course of his innings, Suryakumar Yadav became the first Indian and second player overall to score 1000 runs in a calendar year in T20 internationals. He has amassed 1026 runs in 28 innings at an average of 44.60 and a strike rate of 186.54. He has also scored nine fifties and one hundred this year. He’s also the third-highest run-scorer in the ongoing world cup scoring 225 runs at an average of 75 and an unbelievable strike rate of 193.96.

India will next play England on 10^th November, Thursday at Adelaide Oval starting at 1:30 pm.