Harbhajan Singh believes Suryakumar Yadav’s comeback to run-scoring form bodes well for India ahead of the Super 8 stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He stated that the unusual hitter is the biggest match-winner in the Men in Blue lineup.
India secured a Super 8 spot by winning their first three Group A games in New York against Ireland, Pakistan, and the United States of America. Their last group game against Canada in Florida on Saturday, June 15, was called off before a single ball was bowled.
During a Star Sports interview, Harbhajan was asked about the significance of Suryakumar recovering his form with a half-century against the US.
Harbhajan Singh lauds SKY
“It’s extremely important. We always talk about match-winners. I feel Suryakumar Yadav is the biggest match-winner in this team because the day he plays, he not only wins the match but takes the match far away from the opposition. The opposition can’t even think that they can win the game.
He is a special player. He is a different-level player. It’s good that runs came from his bat that day because if those runs hadn’t come, it could have been a cause for worry. However, runs coming from his bat is an auspicious sign for India. It’s a great sign for the dressing room as well because when he bats, the dressing room is absolutely calm. They know that until he is there, he will win the match and come out,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Suryakumar aggregated a paltry nine runs in his first two innings in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He followed that up with an unbeaten 50 off 49 deliveries in India’s seven-wicket win against the USA.
“He is playing in the reverse V” – Navjot Sidhu on Suryakumar Yadav’s scoring areas
In the same conversation, Navjot Singh Sidhu mentioned how Suryakumar Yadav’s scoring areas left opponents astonished. The former India opener also stated that SKY, as he is called, is one of the few game-changers in world cricket.
“He has made areas where playing shots was considered a crime his own. Almost 40% of the runs in his innings were in the fine-leg area. He is playing in the reverse V. He is doing a 360-degree attack. So you cannot set a field. When you cannot set a field, you are left stunned.
The pace at which he scores, if he scores more than 50, he will win the match. Very few players play at that pace. Maybe Hardik Pandya and Travis Head, that too with the new ball against the short ball. There are very few game-changers,” Sidhu observed.
Suryakumar scored 2,200 runs at a strike rate of 168.06 in 60 T20I innings. He has four centuries and eighteen half-centuries, with 17 50-plus performances coming in Indian victories.
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