Last Update: February 07, 2023, 09:41 IST
Suryakumar Yadav can make his Test debut during Australia series. (AP Photo)
Suryakumar Yadav has become the world’s top-ranked T20I batsman in a short span of time
It hasn’t been nearly two years since Suryakumar Yadav announced his arrival in style – hitting a scintillating six off the very first ball of his international career, that too against Jofra Archer. That shot was just a teaser of what was to come as the batsman soon became the world’s top-ranked T20I batsman, known for his 360-degree strokeplay and ability to score at pace.
Such has been his impact that SKY, as he is popularly known, is also being backed for a Test spot and is currently part of India’s Test squad that toured Australia in the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Will play with
Read also: R Ashwin feels Pakistan will travel India For World Asia Cup despite venue constraint
In 46 T20I innings, the 32-year-old has scored 1675 runs at a strike-rate of 175.76. These include three centuries and 13 half-centuries, which is a testimony to his excellent consistency.
Former Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who saw Suryakumar during his initial days with the team, recalls that former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar first told him about the batsman.
And Ranji-winning coach Kulkarni saw shades of the great Kapil Dev in Suryakumar because of his free-spirited batting.
“I remember Dilip Vengsarkar was the first to tell me about Suryakumar. He used to play for Dadar Union Play Club in the beginning. I saw him bat in an Under-22 match for Mumbai. So when I became the coach of Mumbai in 2011, the first thing I told the team management was that Suryakumar would be a free bird for me. He can play as he pleases and no one will say anything to him.” playfield magazine,
Read also: Former Indian coach picks third spinner for Nagpur Test after Ashwin and Jadeja
He said, ‘I gave him the license to play his natural game because I could see glimpses of Kapil Dev in him. There was no better player than Kapil to watch in full flow. Surya had an attacking game and I wanted him to continue playing like that. I have always believed that every team should have that one free bird who can change the complexion of the game. And for me in that team, Surya was that player,” he said.
get the latest cricket news Here