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'He might not win Orange Cap, MoM but he will win you matches': Kaif singles out in-form India star before T20 World Cup
The star batter has notched up more than 700 runs this year in T20Is – the highest by an Indian batter in a calendar year.
Suryakumar Yadav is enjoying a purple patch with the bat currently in the T20 Internationals. Ranked No. 2 in T20I player rankings, the batter has notched up more than 700 runs this year in the format – the highest by an Indian batter in a calendar year. Yadav, who scored one of his finest fifties against South Africa on a tricky surface in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, is just 24 runs short of completing 1000 runs in the 20-over format. Also, he has scored his runs at a whopping strike rate of 180.29 this year. Overall, his strike rate is 173.35 across 32 games, where he has smashed 57 sixes and 88 boundaries in his India career.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif lavished high praise on Yadav, explaining how he fits perfectly at the No. 4 slot. He labelled the in-form player as a match-winner and singled him out for his ability to play against any opposition, irrespective of the surface.
"Top class pacers or spinners, turning or seaming pitches, difficult match situation - nothing bothers Surya. He might not win orange cap, MoM but he will win you matches. No.4 pe rumal daal diya Surya ne, he's not moving for a long time. @surya_14kumar," tweeted Kaif.
The spotlight will be on Yadav as India head to Australia for the hotly-anticipated World T20 next month. He is known for his ability to shift gears and 360-degree strokeplay – among two prerequisites in any 20-over game.
In the series opener against South Africa, Yadav came in to bat at No. 4 at hit two sixes off his first three balls – a testament to his batting prowess. He helped India recover from 17/2 and stitched an unbroken 97-run stand with KL Rahul, who hit 51 not out.
Yadav remained unbeaten on 50 off 33 balls as India reached a modest 107 target with more than three overs to spare and eight wickets in hand. He went past Shikhar Dhawan, who had hit 689 runs in a single calendar year in 2018. Yadav now has 732 runs under his belt.
Yadav also went past Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan to record the most sixes in any calendar year in T20Is. Rizwan held the record for his 42 sixes in 2021 with Martin Guptill also smashing 41 sixes in the same year. The star Indian batter has taken his tally of sixes to 45 in 2022 so far.
