'You can't predict whether Suryakumar Yadav will be successful for India in Tests': SKY's ex-teammate's staggering claim
Last week, when one of the reporters asked Suryakumar about his red-ball ambitions for India, the 32-year-old sounded rather confident, saying 'he has a good idea of red-ball format and enjoy it'.
After Suryakumar Yadav went berserk during the first T20I against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, the India batter raised a very interesting point during the post-match presentation ceremony. When one of the reporters asked Suryakumar about his red-ball ambitions for India, the 32-year-old sounded rather confident, saying 'he has a good idea of red-ball format and enjoy it'. Suryakumar, since making his India debut in March of last year, has set the T20I format on fire, scoring over 1400 runs from 42 matches. During this time, he has roared to the top of the ICC T20I rankings for batters and is the highest run-getter of the year.
In First-Class cricket, Suryakumar, as he rightly pointed out, has a decent record, scoring over 5300 runs from 77 matches at an average of 44 with 14 centuries and 26 fifties. Having already been in sizzling form, Surya has become an automatic pick in T20Is and ODIs, and if he can continue it, the batter is confident he can excel in Tests too given the opportunity.
"Aa raha hai, woh (Test selection) bhi aa raha hai (coming, that is also coming)," Surya had said after scoring an unbeaten 111 off 51 balls. "When we start playing cricket we start with red ball and I have also played first-class cricket for my Mumbai team. I have a fair idea about the Test format and I enjoy playing that format also. Hopefully, I will get the Test cap soon."
Suryakumar's former Mumbai teammate Vinayak Mane, who is also a renowned coach in the domestic cricket circuit and has known SKY since his Under-19 days, made a remarkable comment on Surya's ambitions to play red-ball cricket. He pointed out that while there is no guarantee whether the batter will succeed, Surya will, rest assured, give his heart and soul into it.
"You can't predict whether Suryakumar Yadav will be successful in Test matches but I can vouch that he will make the effort if he is given a chance," he told PTI.
Suryakumar came into the New Zealand series on the back of some wonderful outings for India at the T20 World Cup and emerging as the third-highest run-scorer with 239 runs at a strong average of 59.75. These numbers become all the more staggering given this was the first time Suryakumar batted in Australia, and as Mane reveals, to return with such stunning stats took special training.
"Credit should go to Mr. Khodadad who also is fond of Surya. At the Parsee Gymkhana ground, we specially got a hard wicket prepared for his training with a liberal sprinkling of grass. One of my students, who is a Mumbai U-23 player, Om Keshkamat, acted as a left-arm side-armer giving throw-downs with the robo-arm. Surya is also fond of Om. I also had all kinds of bowlers giving him a decent practice," Mane said.
"It would be different for chasing where targets would be like 28 from 2 overs and if batting first, say 30 runs from powerplay overs 4-6. He would often say, that set me a field and if I get out, I will come out, so that he is in the match mode. He always had these shots. What he has now developed is even tighter technique. So when he is playing anything hurled onto his body, his head remains very still. If you watch closely, while his backfoot goes across the stumps towards off-side, he maintains the balance as the head points towards extra-cover and the front-foot remains straight."
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