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[VIDEOS] Surya Kumar Yadav: The best T20 batter in Asia currently

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Suryakumar Yadav - Peaking at the right time?

He has had a decent IPL career but possesses a profile of a journeyman cricketer that slipped under the radar for a long while.

His List A and first-class records are decent, and he can potentially have a 3 or 4 year career in international cricket.

One thing that is beyond doubt is that he's peaking at the right time ahead of the World T20 later this year.
 
Watched him bat in the IPL a year or two back; he was quite impressive. Would say the same for Kishan.

You have to be that good to break into the Indian team. SKY and Kishan are the only two Indian batsmen to get a T20I cap in the last 3 years.

Shows how much competition there is within the Indian team. But also speaks volumes about India's selection process. Despite having so much talent they rarely deviate from the guys they have selected and when they do they make sure the ones that get selected are highly deserving.
 
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SKY is a kind of batsman who scores at a very good strike rate even after coming at 3. His performance over past 3-4 years in IPL has been brilliant. It was not as good before.

Most Indian batsman think that if they are batting in top 3, they need to bat at normal rate and then up the S/R after 10 overs but SKY will bat at a good rate from start only.
 
Plenty of experience behind him. Been around for over 10 years with nearly 350 domestic matches.

Again, battle-hardened when it comes to domestic cricket and what that has taught him.
 
SKY will make a case for himself in ODI team too. The place of KL Rahul or Shreyas Iyer will be in danger.

With Kishan also being impressive too, it will be a dog fight for places in LOI team.
 
Quality talent

Earlier he used to be a leg side hack but he has improved his off side game so much.
 
I know Indian cricket has a lot of upcoming talented young batsmen like Shaw, Gill, Kishan, Padikkal, etc., but I always considered him to be India's best uncapped LOI talent. I know it isn't sexy to consider a 30 year old batsman as India's best talent especially when you have a lot of "youngsta beauties" who play fearless cricket but he is the most mature out of them all. I am a hardcore CSK fan and hail from the south, so there's no love lost for either the Mumbai Indians or the Mumbai lobby as far as I'm concerned, but it's a bit of a disgrace how long Surya has had to wait to receive his first international cap for India.

India has auditioned so many batsmen for the no.4 position ranging from past it stars like Yuvraj and Dhoni to guys like Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Iyer, Pant, Shankar, Karthik, Rahane etc. But all of them were limited in one way or the other. SKY isn't perfect like Kohli or anything, but he's miles better than any other prospect for the no.4 position in the Indian team. I've watched him in the IPL for many years now and have been jealous of MI having him in the middle order and wish CSK had a domestic talent like him in the middle order. I would include him not just in the T20 format but also in the ODI format as well to come in to bat after Kohli or even at no.5 after someone like Iyer. He will obviously have his struggles like any other batsman and might go through some rough patches of form but needs to be persisted with by the management.

He is an all round better player than Iyer or Pant and more mature than them as well in LOI cricket. If India still are reluctant to include him in their XI, they would be wasting SKY's best years for some inferior prospects. Sure he has made a late debut but there have been players like Mike Hussey who had a late bloom to their careers and still ended up with a great career in international cricket. Surya could be one of those players if he is persisted with by the management and given confidence in his role.
 
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Better than the clowns they used for 2019 world cup.

Karthick, Dhoni and Vijay Shankar etc

Not to mention Rayudu,
 
Why didn't India tried him at no.4 before 2019 World Cup?

You get SKY at 4, Dhoni 5, Jadhav at 6 and then Pandya at 7
 
I believe he can play test format as well.
Pick him over Vihari.

Nope. He isnt even amongst Mumbai Ranji teams best 5 batters. Very good LO bat but has never reached that level in long format. And not for lack of opportunity like Washington, who incidentally is much better investment as a middle order bat.
 
Nope. He isnt even amongst Mumbai Ranji teams best 5 batters. Very good LO bat but has never reached that level in long format. And not for lack of opportunity like Washington, who incidentally is much better investment as a middle order bat.

Surprised.
He has very good technic and shot selection, I though he is good red ball player as well.
 
He has way too many pyrotechnics at the crease to be a complete red ball player. Am sure his priority is LOI and not Test cricket considering his age and the options India have.
 
He is already 30+ with no overseas experience in test cricket. So, No!

In ODIs, we have Rahul, Gill, Shreyas and Pant.
 
Surprised.
He has very good technic and shot selection, I though he is good red ball player as well.

His technique is serviceable for white ball cricket. Nothing beyond that.

His main USP is his versatility and a particular batting attitude. Both of them are very useful t20 tools.
 
Very impressive numbers in all formats.

Average of 44 in First class
Average of 37 in List A with a strike rate of 103
Average of 31 and strike rate of 140 in T20s

Can't argue with these numbers.
 
Rahul's performance is just shocking. But India will keep him. That means Kishan vs Surya. I prefer Surya as he can bat anywhere from 1 to 7.
 
Like I said, it's a crying shame that he has had to wait so long to make a debut for India.

He had been the best uncapped LOI Indian player for some time now before he made his debut. He has a certain spunk in him when he bats.
 
He is already 30+ with no overseas experience in test cricket. So, No!

In ODIs, we have Rahul, Gill, Shreyas and Pant.

Plenty of young and upcoming players for Tests from India U19 and who are honing their skills in domestic trophies like Ranji, Vijay Hazare, Irani and Duleep trophies.

SKY will find it difficult to displace anyone from Indian top order in the test squad. and there is no need
It was hard enough for him to break into the T20 side even after multiple performances in domestic circuit.
 
Plenty of young and upcoming players for Tests from India U19 and who are honing their skills in domestic trophies like Ranji, Vijay Hazare, Irani and Duleep trophies.

SKY will find it difficult to displace anyone from Indian top order in the test squad. and there is no need
It was hard enough for him to break into the T20 side even after multiple performances in domestic circuit.

I am not sure about his test game. Indian TM should give youngsters chances there. Better to invest long term or else 3-4 years later, we will have to figure out replacement for Kohli, Pujara, Rohit and SKY also.
 
Look at his range of shots and his execution, the fact that even an almost unknown Indian batsman can bat better than our so called superstars speaks volumes about the level of difference between India and Pakistan.
 
'He might be the Player of the Series at T20 World Cup': Brad Hogg makes massive prediction regarding India batsman
Brad Hogg had made a bold prediction about an India batsman, believing he could ne named Player of the Series at the T20 World Cup.

The T20 World Cup is three months away but all eyes are already on the ICC global event, which takes place in Oman and the UAE, starting October 17. The T20 World Cup is being held after a gap of five years and with India finishing semi-finalist in the last edition (2016 at home), the Men in Blue would be eager to break their ICC jinx this time around.

But while winning an ICC trophy after eight years would be high on agenda, another important aspect that will top their list is the playing condition. Not too many limited-overs matches remain for the Indian team between now and then, and it will be important to see the squad that is finalised of the ICC event. However, one name that is definitely going to make it there is Suryakumar Yadav, reckons former Australia spinner Brad Hogg, who feels that the 30-year-old’s batting and impact will make it hard for the selectors to ignore him.

"I think Suryakumar Yadav is definitely going to be in the World Cup. Virat Kohli will be opening with Rohit Sharma and you’ll have Suryakumar Yadav coming in at No. 3. I just think he’s expanded his game… the range of shots that he’s got… he’s unorthodox as well so he can play different ramp shots on both leg and off side, but he can also attack you and use his feet," Hogg said while answering a question from a fan on his YouTube channel.

Hogg made a bold prediction about Suryakumar, believing the batsman would be one of the key players to watch out at the World Cup. In fact, the former Australia spinner feels Suryakumar could be a top contender to be named Player of the Series if he maintains his current vein of form.

"I just think he is going to be the difference in this particular tournament. If he stands out and puts the bowlers off with that array of shots, I think he is going to set the tournament up for India. For me, I think Suryakumar Yadav is the man for India and I think he’s the man to watch at the T20 World Cup. I think he might be Player of the Series at the T20 World Cup. That’s a big call so far out," Hogg added.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/he-might-be-the-player-of-the-series-at-t20-world-cup-brad-hogg-makes-massive-prediction-regarding-india-batsman-suryakumar-yadav-101627470866691.html
 
Mumbai Indians' Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season went from bad to worse as their star batter Suryakumar Yadav was ruled out of the remainder of the season with an injury. The IPL organisers said in a statement that the batter suffered an injury in the left forearm muscle during MI's match against Gujarat Titans on May 6.

"Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav has been ruled out of the IPL 2022 owing to a left forearm muscle injury. Mr. Yadav sustained the injury during the team's fixture against Gujarat Titans on 6th May, 2022," a statement from IPL said on Monday.

"Suryakumar played 8 matches this season for the Mumbai Indians scoring 303 runs at an average of 43.29 that included 3 half centuries."

Yadav had been one of the most consistent performers for five-time champions MI. He had a strike-rate of 145.67 and played consistently well for the team. His absence will be a big blow for MI, which has won just two out of their 10 matches so far. They are out of the play-off race.

The announcement of Yadav's injury came minutes before MI's 11th IPL 2022 match against Kolkata Knight Riders. MI captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl in the game against the Shreyas Iyer-led KKR. MI made one change with Ramandeep Singh coming in for injured Suryakumar Yadav, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the IPL owing to a left-forearm muscle injury.

KKR made as many as five changes to their playing XI, bringing in Ajinkya Rahane, Pat Cummins, Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakaravarthy and Sheldon Jackson.

NDTV
 
What a knock from him today. No way to bowl to him or set containing fields. Mindblowingly good
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An extraordinary shot.<br><br>Scorecard/clips: <a href="https://t.co/AlPm6qHnwj">https://t.co/AlPm6qHnwj</a><br><br>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> 🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/JBcZStcP7l">pic.twitter.com/JBcZStcP7l</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1546171110491693056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Out for 117 (55). One of the great T20I innings
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mo ends a special innings from Suryakumar. 👏<br> <br>Scorecard/clips: <a href="https://t.co/AlPm6qHnwj">https://t.co/AlPm6qHnwj</a><br><br>🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a> 🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/z770Tdf9OX">pic.twitter.com/z770Tdf9OX</a></p>— England Cricket (@englandcricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1546179794949193730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Very impressive innings.

Looks like someone with a nice range of shots and has a plan A and B to every ball which confused the English bowlers.
 
Suryakumar Yadav - 117 off 55 balls
Rest of the Indian batters - 72 off 66 balls
Extras 9
 
Highest T20I scores in a losing cause:

124* Shane Watson v India in 2016
122 Babar Hayat for Hong Kong v Oman in 2016
119 Faf du Plessis v W Indies in 2015
117 S Yadav v England today
117 Chris Gayle v S Africa in 2007
117 L Dunbar for Serbia v Bulgaria in 2022
 
Will go missing in the world cup. Guys like Hooda and Sky are false hopes. Kohli will definitely play in the T20 WC. :inti
 
Should be given a chance in test cricket as well. He is a 360 degree batsman and in his absolute peak. At present form, he is India's 2nd best white ball batsman after KL Rahul.
 
My XI for T20 World Cup as of today :-

Rohit(c)
Pant (wkt)
Rahul
SKY :inti( because he is also IPL product)
Pandya
Jadeja
DK(wkt)
Bhuvi
Harshal/Arshdeep
Bumrah
Yuzi

Rest :- Kishan, D Hooda, Kuldeep, Harshal/Arshdeep
 
Suryakumar Yadav's T20I strike rate after 22 games is 176. Insane.

Average isn' too shabby either at close to 40.

Who will put their hands up in Pakistan team to deliver these numbers?
 
Bold claim, and I’ve seen enough cricket to make it.

In this year’s Asia cup and World Cup, Pakistan have a serious problem to deal with and that is Surya Kumar. Highly gifted batsman! His confidence is increasing with every innings and the man finds batting very easy. Artistic player!
 
Bold claim, and I’ve seen enough cricket to make it.

In this year’s Asia cup and World Cup, Pakistan have a serious problem to deal with and that is Surya Kumar. Highly gifted batsman! His confidence is increasing with every innings and the man finds batting very easy. Artistic player!

He has a weakness in off stump line. Bowl him there and he would either nick one or drag onto the stumps. Just like Hassan Ali did to him in WT20 game to get his wicket. In middle & leg, he is very strong though.
 
Made 76 off 44 today - amazing skills in T20 and bad news for opposition.
 
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SKY is a 360 Player. He has every shot in the book like KL Rahul. His problem is that he is a bit inconsistent and has become a real x-factor in the Indian batting lineup.

I still believe KL is the best batsman in T20's. KL - SKY - Hardik are Top 3 Indian T20 batsmen.

Rohit is on his last leg and Kohli is a gone case. Pant is a pocket dynamite that fails to explode in T20's. He is just an aggressive Test batsman.
 
As per current rankings, Babar is number 1 T20I batter of the World, and hence, de facto number 1 T20I batter of Asia as well.
 
Problem for SKY is his spot in ODIs is still under question. He is not really a long duration batsman. In ODIs, he can't bat in top 4 or even 5 is debatable.
 
As per current rankings, Babar is number 1 T20I batter of the World, and hence, de facto number 1 T20I batter of Asia as well.

babar is very consistent and no 1 batter across formats in asia with rohit

however, fort20 alone, sky is now no 1. his range, versatility and ability to score against quality attacks from get go at 150 plus Sr MAKES HIM in a different league

also , note the support he now has
pant, hardick, jadeja form a very competent lower order
rohit, rahul , kishan very competent upper order
add dk as a floater finisher and its one of the best t20 team currently

out of form kohli if returns back to half the kohli we know, this team is fav across formats.

sky has added the missing dimension - soon you will have more plyers like him . teams will target him and this may actually benifit the other mavericks ike pant and dk .

only cryptonite for this team is left arm pacers. india might just carry mohsin khan as a net bowler to help this team
 
Top 3 on current form:-

1. Babar
2. SKY
3. KLR

Since 2020 Rizwan averages 67 at an SR of 134 in 32 innings. His average and SR are 70.8 and 137.5 respectively against the top 5 ranked T20 teams during that same period.

Suryakumar has played a grand total of 9 T20 innings against the top 5 T20 teams(He has only played against 3 of the 5 top teams.) out of which 8 have been on absolute roads. We're gonna have to see SKY play on challenging wickets against decent opposition before we can call him the 2nd best Asian T20 batsman.

Lastly, KL shouldn't be mentioned among the best Asian batsmen in T20s because he's just a glorified Minnow basher that plays a good innings vs decent opposition once in a blue moon.

KL Rahul averages 32.16 with an SR of 133.79 against the top 5 T20 teams.
 
SKY undoubtedly contender for best T20 bat at moment. Has all shots and then some and can start hitting cold against pace and spin
 
Problem for SKY is his spot in ODIs is still under question. He is not really a long duration batsman. In ODIs, he can't bat in top 4 or even 5 is debatable.

will take him over Iyer anyday
 
will take him over Iyer anyday

I am unsure about SKY in ODIs as he plays too many shots to bat for longer duration in ODIs.

Iyer has good sense of building innings inspite of the weaknesses so will pick him for a no.3 or 4 position as a backup.

In T20s, Surya is in a different league altogether compared to Iyer.
 
I am unsure about SKY in ODIs as he plays too many shots to bat for longer duration in ODIs.

Iyer has good sense of building innings inspite of the weaknesses so will pick him for a no.3 or 4 position as a backup.

In T20s, Surya is in a different league altogether compared to Iyer.

ODIs are extended T20s these days.

SKY can also play long innings if needed.

Both him and Pant will crack both white ball formats
 
Best T20 batter in Asia is a massive hyperbole. You need a track-record to go with that kind of a title, that SKY does not have at the moment.

Babar, Rizwan, Rohit, Rahul and Kohli would be the only players in the mix for that title.
 
Icc rankings are a joke, where did sky come to no.2?

Rizwan has been racking runs but sky is ranked above him?
 
Since 2020 Rizwan averages 67 at an SR of 134 in 32 innings. His average and SR are 70.8 and 137.5 respectively against the top 5 ranked T20 teams during that same period.

Suryakumar has played a grand total of 9 T20 innings against the top 5 T20 teams(He has only played against 3 of the 5 top teams.) out of which 8 have been on absolute roads. We're gonna have to see SKY play on challenging wickets against decent opposition before we can call him the 2nd best Asian T20 batsman.

Lastly, KL shouldn't be mentioned among the best Asian batsmen in T20s because he's just a glorified Minnow basher that plays a good innings vs decent opposition once in a blue moon.

KL Rahul averages 32.16 with an SR of 133.79 against the top 5 T20 teams.

Challenging wickets for T20I? Do they even exist? I think you are confusing Tests to T20I. Wickets for T20Is are mostly roads all over the world except for few square turners in India.
 
Icc rankings are a joke, where did sky come to no.2?

Rizwan has been racking runs but sky is ranked above him?

T20 rankings are a joke. There is so little T20Is played and most of the players don't even play them consistently that even a few performances can catapult someone towards the top. It does not matter who is top in T20 rankings as it mostly means nothing.
 
Icc rankings are a joke, where did sky come to no.2?

Rizwan has been racking runs but sky is ranked above him?

ICC rankings are not as naive as Pakistan fans.

SKY is a better T20 batsman than Rizwan and Iftikhar put together. Both are Misbah’s pet projects who himself was a white ball failure batsman and tactician
 
T20 rankings are a joke. There is so little T20Is played and most of the players don't even play them consistently that even a few performances can catapult someone towards the top. It does not matter who is top in T20 rankings as it mostly means nothing.

This is true, but still you would expect that a proper rating mechanism should be there.

The guy perfirms 9 matches and is at no.2, while the t20 player of the year is at no.3...

Anyways, i just hope babar can get the snapshot of being numero 1 in all formats even for a day
 
Meanwhile Reeza Hendricks hits 4 back to back fifty's but his name is no where to be found
 
Challenging wickets for T20I? Do they even exist? I think you are confusing Tests to T20I. Wickets for T20Is are mostly roads all over the world except for few square turners in India.

Yes, believe it or not challenging wickets do indeed exist in T20Is. You can find challenging wickets in places like the UAE, Bangladesh, etc.

Scores during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/pakistan-in-bangladesh-2021-22-1277971/match-results

Scores during Australia's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/australia-in-bangladesh-2021-1270832/match-results

Scores during New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-in-bangladesh-2021-1272089/match-results
 
Yes, believe it or not challenging wickets do indeed exist in T20Is. You can find challenging wickets in places like the UAE, Bangladesh, etc.

Scores during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/pakistan-in-bangladesh-2021-22-1277971/match-results

Scores during Australia's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/australia-in-bangladesh-2021-1270832/match-results

Scores during New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-in-bangladesh-2021-1272089/match-results

Scores during New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-in-bangladesh-2021-1272089/match-results*
 
Best T20 batter in Asia is a massive hyperbole. You need a track-record to go with that kind of a title, that SKY does not have at the moment.

Babar, Rizwan, Rohit, Rahul and Kohli would be the only players in the mix for that title.

Let me put it this way, If Barry Richards can be considered an all time great based on 4 test matches, why not SKY in this situation!
 
Yes, believe it or not challenging wickets do indeed exist in T20Is. You can find challenging wickets in places like the UAE, Bangladesh, etc.

Scores during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/pakistan-in-bangladesh-2021-22-1277971/match-results

Scores during Australia's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/australia-in-bangladesh-2021-1270832/match-results

Scores during New Zealand's tour of Bangladesh - https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-in-bangladesh-2021-1272089/match-results

The last T20 game where SKY score 76(44) was also challenging.
 
The last T20 game where SKY score 76(44) was also challenging.

Are you talking about the match where an Indian fast bowler conceded 47 runs in 3 overs? Seems like a very difficult pitch to bat on.
 
Let me put it this way, If Barry Richards can be considered an all time great based on 4 test matches, why not SKY in this situation!

Who says Barry Richards is one of the ATGs? The one thing that he has been most famous for in the last few years is that picture of him comparing his old cricket bat with Warner's cricket bat.
 
Are you talking about the match where an Indian fast bowler conceded 47 runs in 3 overs? Seems like a very difficult pitch to bat on.

Well to be fair, I don't think most pitches in T20s these days can be considered hard to bat on. Only a team like Bangladesh is going to produce rank-turners even in T20s so they can sneak a series win past bigger teams.

Batters in T20s should be judged based on track-records though. And right now, SKY hasn't nearly played enough matches to have any kind of serious track-record.
 
Well to be fair, I don't think most pitches in T20s these days can be considered hard to bat on. Only a team like Bangladesh is going to produce rank-turners even in T20s so they can sneak a series win past bigger teams.

Batters in T20s should be judged based on track-records though. And right now, SKY hasn't nearly played enough matches to have any kind of serious track-record.

Pitches in the UAE can be just as dreadful sometimes.
 
SKY is a guy who spent too much time going unnoticed. He seems like a brilliant talent who probably got called up a bit late. It's only after his t20i century that he has started getting plaudits.

Even in MI, I remember everyone praising Kishan with very little mention of SKY.
 
Are you talking about the match where an Indian fast bowler conceded 47 runs in 3 overs? Seems like a very difficult pitch to bat on.

Yeah the same match where an Indian bowler conceded only 19 runs in 4 overs as well, the same match where WI barely managed to score 164, the same pitch where a bowler took 6 fer just previous night.

That pitch was tough to bat on and one need to actually watch the game to understand it.
 
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