Suryakumar Yadav has been praised by Aakash Chopra for pushing rival teams to play on his terms everytime he steps out to bat.
Australia set India a massive 209-run goal in the opening T20I on Thursday in Visakhapatnam. Suryakumar then hammered 80 runs off 42 deliveries to help the Men in Blue win by two wickets with one ball remaining.
In a video posted to his YouTube page, Chopra reflected on India’s pursuit and stated that Suryakumar’s presence in the center causes the opposition’s preparations to go haywire. He elaborated:
“Suryakumar Yadav – the good thing about his batting is that he puts pressure on the bowlers that they will have to do something different for him because he will hit if they bowl him a normal ball.”
Aakash Chopra
He added:
“As soon as he walks out to the middle, you say that a deep fine leg is required, so you have to bring third man and mid-on in. So suddenly you are forced to play on Surya’s terms, which is very interesting.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra emphasized that the atypical hitter excels on flat pitches. He questioned if a player should be used in all three formats simply because he excelled in one.
“Ishan Kishan has something that Steve Smith doesn’t” – Aakash Chopra
Ishan Kishan’s six-hitting skill, according to Aakash Chopra, distinguishes him from Steve Smith, who struggled to force the tempo throughout Australia’s innings. He went on to say:
“Ishan Kishan played well. Jason Behrendorff bowled a maiden over but despite that, Ishan Kishan has something that Steve Smith doesn’t, he hit sixes while standing at his position. He is brilliant but he also got out.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator lauded Rinku Singh for sealing India’s victory in a nail-biting conclusion. He stated:
“Wickets fell after that and the match became very interesting. Then Rinku, who has matured through the IPL, came. He batted extremely well and won the match by hitting a six. The way he batted under pressure, for me, the two biggest stars of this match were Mukesh Kumar and Rinku Singh.”
Aakash Chopra
The hosts needed one run off the last pitch of their inning. Although Rinku Singh hit the ball for a six, those runs were not credited to his account because Sean Abbott bowled a no-ball, allowing India to reach the goal before the maximum was hit.