‘I knew I needed you there’- Suryakumar Yadav in an honest-talk to Virat Kohli
India locked horns with Hong Kong on Wednesday (August 31) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Men in Blue registered a comprehensive 40-run win over the Nizakat Khan & Co. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were the chief architects of the win.
The batting duo put on a show with the bat and stitched an unbeaten 98-run stand for the third wicket and that too in just 42 deliveries. India’s 360-degree batter showed his range with some incredible hitting. Suryakumar scored 68* runs off 26 deliveries, which included 6 fours and 6 sixes. Meanwhile, Kohli showed glimpses of his old classic self as he made a well-complied 59* runs off 44 balls. Courtesy of the knocks, the Men in Blue posted a daunting total of 192 for 2.
After the game, the heroes of the game sat together for an interview where the former Indian captain stated how he was mesmerized by Suryakumar’s batting. The 31-year-old Mumbai batter also expressed how having Kohli on the other hand helped him to play freely.
“Firstly, I love batting with him. When we were sitting inside, I was talking with Rishabh about how to take this game ahead as the wicket was a little slow. When I went to bat, I just tried to be myself and do what I love doing. So, it was a simple plan. In the first ten balls, I wanted to hit three-four boundaries and when I got that, I just kept batting. At that moment, I knew I needed you there and that’s why I told you to bat from one end as it will be easy for you to cover up later on,” Suryakumar said.
“I know when you bat 30-35 balls, your next 10 balls you bat with a strike rate of 200-250. So, it was important for me that you stay there so that I can bat freely till the 20th over. I really enjoyed whatever happened,” he added.
Here is the video
Of two stellar knocks, a dominating partnership, mutual admirations & much more 💥👌
𝐃𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 – Half-centurions @imVkohli & @surya_14kumar chat up after #TeamIndia's win against Hong Kong 👍 – by @ameyatilak
Full interview📽️👇 #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/Hyle2h3UBQ pic.twitter.com/39Ol62g2Qf
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 1, 2022
The Mumbai-born batter has been in a rich vein of form in the last couple of months. The flamboyant batter has featured in 25 T20Is for the Men in Blue and has accumulated 758 runs at a strike rate of 177.52.
