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Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav played a stunning knock against Hong Kong on August 31 (Wednesday) and once again reminded everyone about his mercurial attributes. The swashbuckling right-handed batter pulverised Hong Kong bowlers in his breathtaking innings of 68 not out off 26 balls. The 31-year-old powered six sixes and as many fours during his stay on the crease and was the architect behind Men in Blue's 40-run win against the minnows.
The sheer brilliance of Suryakumar's knock on Wednesday even forced arguably the greatest batter in contemporary cricket, Virat Kohli, to bow down in awe of the Mumbaikar's scintillating knock. Reacting to Kohli's gesture, the Mumbai Indians' batter underlined that it was 'very heartwarming' and that he has 'never experienced it'.
"Virat Kohli's gesture (bowing down) at the mid-innings break was very heartwarming. I have never experienced it, I was just wondering why he is not walking back to the dressing room," Suryakumar said in a post-match press conference.
"He was walking behind me, I told him to walk alongside me to the dugout."
"I really enjoyed batting alongside him and I even told him that. We were talking in the middle about what needs to be done in different situations. I have not played as many T20Is as him, so having the experience at that stage in the middle was crucial," he continued.
The stylish batter also shed some light on his knock and what was his mindset when he walked out to bat on a difficult pitch on Wednesday.
"The situation was such that I had to bat in this (aggressive) fashion. At the start, the wicket was slow, but as soon as I walked out to the crease, Virat Bhai also told me to express myself and my plan was also to play my natural game, so yeah, I really enjoyed it. The plan was clear, I had no doubt on what I needed to do, there was no doubt, so I really enjoyed it," he reflected.
"I was playing on the same track as others (laughs). My plan was clear, I just wanted to express myself. Sometimes, it comes off, and sometimes it doesn't. Today was lucky for me. Batting first sets a different kind of challenge but we are trying to figure out how to go about setting targets while batting first. We have enough firepower to post good totals on the board.
"I always try to play my natural game. I also try to play according to situations. If you are batting first, then you need to post a total on the board. The overs 7-15 are important because teams try to control the game. I just look to express myself. If it comes off, it's okay and if I don't succeed, then there is the next game. The experience has been really good. Before this, I have played many T20s for my franchise and domestic cricket as well. Coming here, it was just how I adapt to the pressure and responsibility. This is what I am trying to do whenever I am going to bat. That's the thing I am focusing on right now, it is going well, for now, touchwood," the 31-year-old added.
While Suryakumar received warm applause for his knock, Indian opener KL Rahul was subjected to some crisp criticism after he struggled against Hong Kong after registering a golden duck against Pakistan in India's first game of Asia Cup 2022. Rahul played a sluggish knock of 36 runs in 39 balls on Wednesday against Hong Kong and looked like a mere shadow of himself.
"He is coming back after an injury, he also needs some time right now. And we have that time, and as I said, I am really flexible to bat at any number. There are lots of things we are trying, we will see how it goes'" Suryakumar said while defending Rahul's lack of form.
