Around 11 years ago, current Indian captain Rohit Sharma, still in the early stages of his own international career, made an observation on Twitter.
At that stage it may well have been dismissed as a Mumbaikar batting for one of his own. But what Sharma saw in the 21-year-old Suryakumar Yadav was being spoken about in hushed tones across cricketing circles.
Little did Sharma know that 11 years later, his assessment of Yadav would ring so true with so many fans of cricket. Yadav is now India’s biggest hope with the bat in the T20I format. What’s more, Yadav has just been crowned the world’s No.1 T20I batter for men, justifying the faith placed in him more than a decade ago by the current skipper.
Yadav is currently head and shoulders above the rest of the batters in T20Is in this ongoing year. His consistency and fearless approach have won him many fans. But none bigger than his skipper.
Before the ongoing T20 World Cup began in Australia, Sharma had marked out Yadav as the player to watch out from his side. Thus far Yadav has not disappointed his skipper or his growing legion of fans.
“Surya is in good form. I hope he continues to bat in that way, high on confidence,” Sharma told reporters. “He is a confident player. He plays fearlessly, he uses his skill set efficiently. I hope he becomes the X-factor.”
The Yadav story or the likelihood that he can play for India, especially in the T20I format began in 2020. At the height of the pandemic when the rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL) was played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there were growing calls for him to be included in the Indian T20I squad.
The squad was to tour Australia, and Yadav was in top form. Over the years, first for Kolkata Knight Riders and then for his current franchise Mumbai Indians, Yadav had formed a reputation for being a fearless striker. But during his time at Mumbai Indians, he went from being Yadav to being everyone’s favourite SKY. It became easy for headline writers or editing desks to pun on this and they generally had a field day.
In a specific game during IPL 2020, Yadav was up against Royal Challengers Bangalore led by Virat Kohli, the then Indian captain. There was a lot of speculation about their chemistry at the time. There was a bit of a stare from Kohli and Yadav responded calmly. He even gestured to his dressing room in a way to suggest ‘Main Hoon Naa, trust me’. Yadav did not get selected for the Australia tour, but his legend grew with time.
His time had come and finally when he was picked for the T20I series at home against England, there was no stopping him. He struck his very first ball in international cricket over fine leg for a six off no less than England’s express paceman Joffra Archer! He had announced his arrival on the world stage, but sadly owing to the pandemic, there was no one there to see him play at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad because the BCCI had barred spectators.
Almost a year later when Yadav travelled to England to play in a white-ball series, the entire world and a packed Trent Bridge ground in Nottingham saw his genius. He scored his maiden T20I century off just 48 balls and became the sixth Indian to score a hundred in the format. This was an incredible knock with breathtaking shots all around the ground.
India moved from being in a precarious situation to almost winning the game, only to lose by 17 runs. England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler could not help but doff his hat that day towards the Indian.
"Good fun, more like what we're used to seeing with the bat. The wicket didn't have some of the pace we sometimes have here, but it was an incredible knock from Yadav, one of the best hundreds I've seen,” Buttler was quoted as saying post the game.
The player of that match Reece Topley was much more precise.
"I was speechless by some of the shots, they were unbelievable. Looks a hell of a player, I have not come across him too much. I was just in awe most of the time," said Topley.
The Indian team then experimented with Yadav as an opener against the West Indies in the T20I series that followed. The experiment did not go according to plan, but the reputation of the man had grown immensely.
It was then during the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that he found a role that he felt suited him. He was now batting at number four. With the openers, including captain Sharma and vice-captain K.L. Rahul not exactly setting the world on fire, the pressure on the middle-order was immense.
Kohli, too, was returning after a break before the Asia Cup. Yadav found an ally in a rejuvenated Kohli and together they formed a partnership that has served India very well for the last couple of months in the T20I format.
Kohli and Yadav have joined forces to form what is now being called the Sur-Vir Show by the Mumbaikar himself.
The pair added an unbeaten 98 runs against Hong Kong during the Asia Cup. At the end of the innings, Kohli pointed towards the dressing room and was in awe of Yadav's hitting abilities. Then against Australia at home they put on 104, and when South Africa came visiting, added 102.
In this ongoing T20 World Cup the two added an unbeaten 95 off just 48 balls against the Netherlands (in Sydney on October 27, 2022), and celebrated like never before.
“It's a very good camaraderie, and I'm really enjoying batting with him right now,” Yadav said about Kohli. “He just clears your thoughts. I mean, when I was batting and when I was a little confused when I was inside, he was just coming up to me and telling me what delivery can you expect now from that bowler.”
The bromance is not a one-way street. Even Kohli is amazed at his partner’s talent and cannot stop talking about it.
"SKY is a phenomenal talent. You do not get guys with that kind of talent coming through the system regularly. He does not play random cricket shots. His execution rate is ridiculous. He knows his game inside out. He knows exactly what he needs to do. He is in his best phase now. The next four-five years could be a great run for him," said Kohli about his partner to the ICC.
Even former players and keen watchers of the game like Pakistan’s legendary Wasim Akram are huge fans of Yadav. The pair worked together at the Kolkata Knight Riders when Akram was the bowling coach there.
"One of my favorite players these days, in this shorter format, is Suryakumar Yadav. He has been phenomenal,” Akram said during a Star Sports press conference. "I saw him the first year when he joined the Kolkata Knight Riders and he played a couple of games batting at No. 7 and 8. And a couple of shots he played, the one that he picks from the middle of his bat towards fine leg that’s an unusual and difficult shot to muster," he stated.
Comparisons with South Africa’s now retired talisman AB de Villiers have always been doing the rounds. Australia’s former captain and a legend of the game Ricky Ponting compared Yadav to de Villiers. South African paceman Dale Steyn also saw shades of de Villiers in Yadav.
"So, he is a wonderful 360-degree player, and reminds me of AB de Villiers. He could be India's version of AB de Villiers and with the red-hot form that he's in right now, he's a player to definitely watch out for this World Cup," Steyn said on Star Sports show 'Cricket Live'. But de Villiers himself requested everyone to leave Yadav alone and not make any comparisons.
So far Steyn’s prediction has been proved right by Yadav himself with his breathtaking knocks during this ongoing T20 World Cup. Of course, there will be failures along the way like in the game against Pakistan. But the way he fought fire with fire in the game against South Africa on a pacy Perth pitch, he won a lot of admirers. There were praises flowing in from all corners.
But the last word rests with former India head coach and former captain Ravi Shastri who made a huge call on Yadav’s future. "He can play all three formats of the game and the reason I say that is that he is different," Shastri said. "You don’t get too many players who can hit spots the way he does.”
It is now up to Yadav to live up to the praise and predictions of everyone around him. He is already on the road to reaching his destination and the world No. 1 spot in the T20I batting is just a pit stop.
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