Suryakumar Yadav has returned to form. The 360-degree batter hadn’t performed well in India’s first two matches of the T20 World Cup, and the pressure was on him. As the No. 1 T20I batter, expectations were high for him. After he failed against Pakistan, many claimed that he couldn’t handle the tough moments.
Suryakumar Yadav, tough as nails
What did he do to hit back at his critics? Score an unbeaten half-century on the nearly unplayable Nassau pitch against the USA. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were dismissed cheaply, and Team India was 10/2 after 2.2 overs. With 101 runs still needed, Surya stayed in the middle with Rishabh Pant. He got him on his gloves and was undone by balls that kept low and then shot up from the same spot.
But he didn’t give in. After Pant was dismissed in the 8th over, things became even more difficult. Still, 72 runs were needed, and he was joined by out-of-form Shivam Dube. Both needed much-needed match practice before the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup started.
Battling, Suryakumar reached his fifty in 49 balls, his slowest in T20I cricket. But, without a shadow of a doubt, it will be one of the best fifties he’s scored. To take your team to the next stage with people criticizing you, dwindling form, and ace batters gone is a great way to roar back into form for the world’s best T20I batter.
T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma applauds SKY’s fighting 50
After the match, skipper Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav. He credited the batter for showing his other game, playing a calculated and slow knock instead of being at his swashbuckling best.
“He showed he has a different game to him; that’s what you expect from experienced players. Credit to the way he stuck through today to take the game deep and win it for us,” Rohit said in the post-match interview.
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