Batsman Sunil Gavaskar says Suryakumar Yadav has evolved into the new Mr 360 degrees and India will struggle to get enough runs on the board. Suryakumar, currently the world number one T20 batsman, performed brilliantly in his first T20 World Cup to help India reach the semi-finals of the marquee event with a brilliant knock in the Super 12 stage. Against Zimbabwe, he scored an unbeaten 61 off 25, sending the ball to every corner of the field.
still thinking about this shot#suryakumar yadav #Virat Kohli pic.twitter.com/u6XzQd9UZC
— far az lodhi____ (@fklodhi93) 7 November 2022
“Each of those innings was a lot more than 360 degrees. He’s the new Mr. 360 degrees. That was a shot in which he hit a six to the left of the wicketkeeper. Then he hit a little four in the final overs, for example, the angle at which the bowler aimed. Then there was the lofted extra cover drive too, he’s got every shot in the book. There was a straight drive too,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on India Today.
The former India captain feels that Suryakumar is the reason why India have been able to score a total that they can defend. “He is really becoming the player who is taking India to the total that you can defend. The score that India got was the highest T20I score at the MCG. Without his unbeaten 61, India would not have even reached 150,” he said. Under-fire Rahul returned to form with back-to-back half-centuries in India’s last two matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Gavaskar said if Suryakumar fails, Rahul will have to take charge.
“I think at the moment, there are two batsmen who are in great form, Kohli and Suryakumar. It was also good to see KL Rahul score another half-century, but he will have to look to achieve more than that for one simple reason. If Surya doesn’t fire, India will struggle for 140-150. So it is very important for Rahul to keep going,” Gavaskar said.
‘Hope Rohit is saving runs for the next two matches’
Captain Rohit Sharma is performing brilliantly in the World Cup by his standards. The opener has scored just 89 runs in five matches, with his only significant knock being 53 against the Netherlands. “Okay, let’s hope he is saving runs for the next two games. Those are going to be the biggest matches. In a group game, you know another game is to follow, so you probably put in a little too much effort sometimes and pass out.
“Now, these are knockout games. In a knockout game, you can’t afford to experiment too much. You need to do your best. Hope Rohit does well,” Gavaskar said.
Rohit has not been able to give India a solid start and the pull, which is his trademark shot, has been his undoing in Australia. “What is happening, he himself, as the captain of the team, has laid out this blueprint to be bang, bang and bang in the first 6 overs. “All of a sudden, he cannot be seen moving the ball around. He is always a good puller of the ball. But that pull shot on the Australian border put him in trouble. We saw that even two years ago he got out twice after scoring 40-50 runs (in Tests) and playing pull shots. This got him in trouble again. With just one fielder in the first 6 overs in the T20 format, he has to take care of the fielder and play the pull shot. It’s a useful shot for him, don’t forget it,” said Gavaskar.