Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir lauded Suryakumar Yadav for his sublime form. Gambhir stated that SKY has the game and he knows what he is doing when he comes to the crease. The right-hander has a strike rate of 177.27 and he has the skills to hit the ground running in T20I format, which has been his main strength.
Yadav has been in top form in the ongoing T20 World Cup for the Men in Blue. The 32-year-old has returned with scores of 15, 51, 68 and 30 in the four matches he has played in the T20I showpiece. The Mumbai batter has scored 164 runs at an average of 54.67 and a blistering strike rate of 180.22 in the ongoing tournament.
Thus, SKY has also climbed to the numero uno position in the ICC T20I rankings.
“Let’s not give him names like 360, there’s a lot of work to do. He’s got loads of talent. Whether it is 360, 180 or 1 degree, it doesn’t matter. He has the game. He knows what he’s doing. When a traditional coach sees him he can say, ‘he’s got an open stance, he doesn’t get behind the line’ but he has been successful with what he has got. He has scored runs at first-class cricket and in every format. Hopefully he gets a chance in Test cricket and he’ll do well,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
Gambhir added that Yadav’s strike rate of 180 is more valuable to the team as he can hit the blocks from the get-go.
“He (Suryakumar) might not have the best cover drive like the others (Indian batters) but he has that 180-strike rate which is much more valuable than that of the other Indian batters,” Gambhir added.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav’s best knock of the tournament came against South Africa when he scored 68 runs off just 40 balls but his efforts went in vain as India lost by five wickets. The Rohit Sharma-led team then secured a five-run win against Bangladesh to almost seal their semifinal place.
However, India will still need to win their last Super 12 match against Zimbabwe in order to qualify for the semifinal stages. The Men in Blue will next take on the Craig Ervine-led team on Sunday at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
