Suryakumar Yadav in the 2024 T20 World Cup.©AFP
Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning catch to dismiss David Miller changed India’s fortunes as they won the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. The catch required him to show incredible fitness and game awareness as first kept the ball in play and then came back from outside the ropes to claim the catch. After the win, Suryakumar – fondly known as SKY – praised teammate Virat Kohli’s fitness regime and how Kohli served as an inspiration to him.
“He (Virat Kohli) was a leader in his own way,” SKY told The Indian Express. “He is a powerhouse of energy on the field, regardless of his performance,” he added.
SKY revealed that Kohli’s fitness allows him to perform better on the field and in turn inspired him to train alongside Kohli.
“In 2022, when I made my debut, I did most of the batting with him during the bilateral series and then in the World Cup. I realized that if I have to bat with him, I have to match his fitness because he takes two quick hits runs pushing a ball into the gaps and then hits a four,” said SKY.
“I told strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai to keep my training time along with his. Because sometimes there are days when I don’t feel like training or my body is tired or mentally I’m not ready. these 40 minutes will be spent at the gym”, he said.
Kohli retired from T20I cricket after the T20 World Cup final victory. Despite a poor tournament leading up to the final, Kohli excelled with a 59-ball 76 and was named ‘Player of the Match’.
SKY scored 199 runs during the tournament, including two fifties, against USA and Afghanistan.
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