Former India player Gautam Gambhir lauded Suryakumar Yadav and also said that he is at a loss of words to describe Yadav’s innings in the 3rd T20I between India and Sri Lanka at Rajkot on Saturday, January 7. Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 112 off just 51 balls. The hosts set a mammoth target of 229 for the visitors in the series decider. Their bowlers dismissed Dasun Shanaka for 137 to help the hosts register a comfortable 91-run victory.
During the discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir said, ‘I have no words for the way he has batted. I can say one thing for sure – he should be included in the Test team, the kind of player he is. He didn’t play any shot where he took a risk. All these shots are in his arsenal. When many players play in the lap, you feel whether they will be able to play it or not. It is his natural ability and it has to be converted into consistency which is what Suryakumar Yadav has done.”
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Gautam Gambhir said that Suryakumar Yadav did not get a chance to bat even in the powerplay overs and his entire innings was played after the powerplay.
“We all need to remember that full knock . You can guess from the strike rate he is batting after powerplay, that’s why he is India’s most valuable batsman in T20 cricket. The first thing is that you need a lot of mental toughness to preplan those shots. You must have skill as you can be hit by the ball many times. He has not done this only against these bowlers. I remember the six he hit off Jofra Archer, who was bowling at over 145 kmph, on his T20I debut in Ahmedabad,” said Gautam Gambhir.
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“Anyone can play laps, everyone practices it too but to play against speeds of over 145 kmph one needs to have the mental toughness. A lot of players play this shot because they don’t have the ability to hit mid off, but the range you have seen from extra cover to fine leg, what more range can you see from a player’s bat?,” Gautam Gambhir concluded. ,
