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Suryakumar Yadav’s next frontier – ODI batting
His third T20 ton, against Sri Lanka in Rajkot, showed how utterly dominating he is in the format. The ODI series starting on Tuesday is a chance to address his numbers in the 50-over game in a World Cup year.
As far as anomalies go, Suryakumar Yadav’s ODI record must feature right up there – 384 runs in 16 matches at an average of 32 with a highest score of 64. The limited number of games aside, there’s nothing that explains his moderate record so far.
That his ODI numbers will improve is reinforced all the more after the Mumbai batter scored his third T20I century in just his 43rd innings, against Sri Lanka in Rajkot on Saturday. Only Rohit Sharma (4) has scored more T20I centuries. As is becoming customary these days, Yadav scaled quite a few statistical highs during his unbeaten 112 off 51 balls. He reached the three-figure mark in just 45 balls, the second-fastest by an Indian, only behind Rohit’s 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017.
Each of his centuries – the previous two came against England and New Zealand in Nottingham and Mount Maunganui respectively – has taken less than 50 deliveries, which explains why he is also the first batter to score three tons without opening the batting.
In a format where the big scores are essentially racked up by the openers, Yadav is carving a niche for himself by causing mayhem as a middle-order batter. For instance, he came in to bat on Saturday in the sixth over, at No 4, and still reached his century with 11 balls left in the innings. He does it time and again with balls to spare because of his phenomenal six-hitting prowess – his nine sixes on Saturday were the second most by an Indian batter, after Sharma’s 10 during that Indore innings. His aerial hits were spread around the field with his favoured fine-leg region peppered as usual.
For close to two years now – he made his debut in the shortest format against England in March 2021 -- Suryakumar has been redefining the rules of T20 batting, particularly in an Indian context. In a team that has paid the price in successive T20 World Cups for the top three of Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli grappling with whether to take a very aggressive approach at the cost of consistency, the 32-year-old has shown that both facets need not be mutually exclusive. In 45 matches, Surya is averaging 46.41 while striking at 180.34. This is why he is the world’s No 1 T20 batter.
“Given the form he’s been in and the clarity he has, you don’t need to tell him anything. He’s very clear about his plans. That’s why he’s so successful in this format. He doesn’t doubt his ability. He just goes out there and enjoys himself,” skipper Hardik Pandya told reporters after the game.
Clarity in decision-making, a major contributor to his consistency, was evident on Saturday. Many times during his innings he could anticipate where the bowler will deliver and set up accordingly. In the 11th over bowled by medium-pacer Chamika Karunaratne, for example, he slapped a short delivery wide of off-stump in front of extra cover for four. He seemed to know that Karunaratne will follow it up with a fuller delivery at the stumps, scooping it for six over fine-leg.
“A few shots are pre-determined, but these are the shots I have been playing over the last year. So, nothing new,” Suryakumar said during the mid-innings break.
The T20s give way to a three-match ODI series starting in Guwahati on Tuesday, and it’s just as important that Yadav translates his T20 form in the 50-over set-up. So far, he has made only two half-centuries in 15 innings with a highest score of 34* in his last nine ODI innings. Delving deep into these numbers would be a mistake though because Yadav clearly has the game to succeed in all formats. Before the T20 series, he had slammed a couple of brisk 90s for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
As Pandya – vice-captain of the ODI team – said on Saturday, Yadav will be equally vital in the 50-over series. “It is definitely very easy when Surya gets going. Today, it felt like Sri Lanka against Surya. That’s the reason I have always mentioned that someone like Surya is so important to us in white-ball cricket. The way he changes the game and the way he plays some shots, it breaks the morale of the bowlers and helps the batter at the other end.”
Given that this is a 50-over World Cup year, there can be no better time for Yadav to set right his ODI numbers.
