The 2022 ICC T20 World Cup will kick off in just a day's time in Australia and before the marquee tournament gets underway, all 16 captains addressed a press conference on October 15 (Saturday). Answering various queries, captains gave an update on their squad while also speaking about the preparedness of their respective teams. Team India captain Rohit Sharma was blunt as always while answering the questions from reporters.
India, who won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, haven't tasted success in ICC tournaments since 2013 and there is a ton of expectations from the current senior men's side to end the trophy drought Down Under.
The Men in Blue have already played two warm-up games, winning one and losing another, and they will now play two ICC-organised practice matches ahead of their World Cup opener against Pakistan in Melbourne on October 23.
The Men in Blue have the luxury of several outstanding players and match-winners in their ranks. Be it maverick batter Virat Kohli or swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the team consists of players who possess the potential to change the dynamics of the game in a span of a couple of overs. But when it comes to X-factor, captain Rohit named stylish batter Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently the best batter in the shortest format in the country.
"Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) is in good form. I hope he continues to bat in that fashion. He is a confident player. He plays fearlessly, he uses his skill set efficiently. I hope he becomes the X-factor," Rohit said during the press conference.
The fearless right-handed batter has been in scintillating form in the shortest format of the game in 2022. He is the second leading run-scorer in T20Is this year with 801 runs to his name in 23 matches. His strike rate of 184.56 is a testament to how he has dominated bowling attacks by playing audacious shots. He has also smashed 51 sixes, which is the most by any batter in a calendar year in T20Is.
