Suryakumar Yadav has, in a space of very few international games, made a name and place for himself in the vastly-competitive annals of Indian cricket. Truth be told, it’s easy to dream about the sport and to aspire to play for a country wherein millions dream of doing the exact same thing that you wish to do too. But something quite other and utterly different to forge a career in the highest possible level of international cricket, and that too for a country that happens to be among the sport’s strongest force.
And yet, the way 30-year-old Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai has gone on to become a vastly recognised Indian player in such a brief amount of time is something utterly worthy of respect. Though, he’s only played no more than three one day internationals so far, along with playing four T20 internationals for India, what’s rather impressive is his returns.
At present, the batting average of Suryakumar Yadav in ODI cricket is a staggering 84, wherein he’s already scored 124 runs with a half-century. Similarly, in the briefest format of the game, he’s averaged 46.3 having scored 139 runs from 4 games. Moreover, he hits the ball with great power and unprecedented charisma. It’s not hard to ignore the quality of his shots and the huge variety of strokes in his armoury. So much so that the brave right-hander’s batting has caught the imagination of a prominent cricket presence from the other side of the border.
So what’s this all about? Appreciation, for as long as it is true and original, is always beautiful to note and something to get inspired from. And in the case of Salman Butt, who lavished great praise on Suryakumar Yadav, it was heartening indeed.
Among the batsmen that are making headlines under coach Rahul Dravid down in Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav is also being tipped for some fine performances in the fast-approaching tour to England. It’s, without a doubt, a series where the onus will be on young performers like the dogged right-hander alongside Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Rishab Pant to ensure the bat does the talking.
That being said, tipping Suryakumar Yadav for something exceptional in the forthcoming tour to England, the following is what the former left-handed Pakistan batsman from Lahore had to say:
“Suryakumar Yadav has a huge opportunity to make a mark in England if he gets an opportunity to play. People have started developing a view of him as being a classy player. If he scores in England as well, he will prove that he is a top-class player because England is a tough place to score runs,” shared Butt.
Furthermore, the former opening batsman would also add other key insights, stating, “He has debuted at 30. The maturity that he has gained by playing years of domestic cricket is visible in his batting. There are many other talented Indian batsmen who are playing fearless cricket but Suryakumar Yadav is proving to be a lot more mature. Most batsmen are at their peak at the age at which Suryakumar Yadav has made his debut.”
That being said, what’s key to note is that Suryakumar Yadav had made his first-class debut in 2010, from the point of which he went on to score 5,326 first-class runs, having played just 77 matches. If that’s not an exceptional record, then one wonders, what is?