Suryakumar Yadav is not the No. 1 T20I batsman in the world for no reason. He has been the fielder of India’s two most recent victories in the 2024 T20 World Cup, delivering a second consecutive half-century against Afghanistan in India’s first Super 8 game. After the match, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel playfully interrupted the game; one which India won comfortably by 47 runs. In particular, the two shared a light-hearted moment about Suryakumar’s interaction with Virat Kohli during India’s batting innings.
Suryakumar – fondly known as SKY – was asked by Axar what advice Kohli gave him during a drinks break on the 10th. Axar explained his curiosity by saying that soon after the break, SKY started sweeping, en route to his 28-ball 53 .
“160 was a nominal score on this (Barbados) wicket. But I thought, if I start with some boundaries and gain momentum after the break, it will help the next batsmen,” SKY said.
Axar jokingly replied, “That means you bluffed Virat!”
“No, I didn’t bluff! I was just being myself,” Suryakumar replied, also laughing.
Before the game against Afghanistan, Suryakumar had spoken about being able to adapt to conditions and play in different disciplines. After a 49-ball 50 victory against the USA, SKY did what they were told, scoring at a strike rate of over 180 on a tough Barbados pitch.
Suryakumar Yadav’s flamboyant knock, coupled with useful contributions from Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, took India to 180 in 20 overs, a total that proved to be a difficult task for Afghanistan.
Jasprit Bumrah continued to shine, finishing with figures of three wickets for seven runs in his four overs (4-1-7-3). His tally is up to eight wickets in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
India will next face Bangladesh on Saturday, June 22 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
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