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Suryakumar Yadav produced his most accomplished knock in extremely adverse conditions but India only managed a sub-par 133 for 9 after South African pacers exposed the top-order’s inadequacies against pace and bounce in a T20 World Cup match on October 30 (Sunday).
Perhaps the world’s most decorated T20I batter in recent times, Surya’s pulled six and a bowler’s back-drive boundary off Lungi Ngidi to complete his half-century will be remembered for times to come.
His 68 off 40 balls will be in ICC’s T20 ‘Hall Of Fame’ and how he looked like a batter from another planet was evident with the second-best score being 15.
On a track where good technique and steely temperament were needed, Surya added another component to it – swagger.
All those who watched the Suryakumar's batting were pleasantly astonished by his breathtaking potential and execution against a destructive bowling attack that was breathing fire. Pakistan legends also chimed in on the bandwagon and showered immense praise on the Indian middle-order batter.
"That shot he plays, the one he hits behind…his technique is so good that even if he doesn't get that elevation, he can execute it. He can play with the bowler's mind as well. Conditions at Perth will be different for the South Africa game but to play these shots you need to be bold," Shoaib Malik said on A Sports.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram who was also part of the discussion said, "SKY is something different, isn't he? These are the kind of shots youngsters should learn."
Despite Suryakumar's brilliance with the bat, India only managed to put a modest total of 133/9 in 20 overs on the board. South Africa stuttered a bit in their run chase but chased down the target with five wickets to spare.
(With PTI Inputs)
