Former South African bowler Dale Steyn praised Suryakumar Yadav for not changing his batting strategy regardless of becoming India’s captain. Despite losing both Indian openers for ducks, the 33-year-old played a counter-attacking knock against the Proteas in the second T20 International on Tuesday.
Suryakumar Yadav batted brilliantly against South Africa in the second T20I on the away conditions. The Indian captain became the first to smash a T20I half-century against the Proteas in South Africa on Tuesday, contributing to India’s third-highest T20I innings total of 180/7, which was insufficient for the team to defend at the end.
Speaking on Star Sports, Dale Steyn feels that the Indian skipper has a wide range of strokes taken into his arsenal and makes batting look easy for the team. Suryakumar Yadav scored 56 runs off 36 balls, alongside forming a crucial partnership with Rinku Singh.
“We spoke about him just after the break. He’s got a lot of shots, and he makes it look real easy. Sometimes it’s a burden being a captain. There’s a lot that you have to think of, and it can sometimes change the way in which you play your game,” Dale Steyn said.
The Mumbai-born batsman equalled India legend Virat Kohli to become the joint-fastest T20I batter with 2000 runs in T20 International cricket. Suryakumar Yadav went on to beat Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record for the highest T20I score by an Indian captain in South Africa.
Suryakumar Yadav Is Not Going To Change The Approach – Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn lauded Suryakumar Yadav for his aggressive batting style despite being three down inside the powerplay for Indian cricket in the future and said it is a great sign for the team. He feels that the Indian skipper taking on opposing bowlers throughout the innings puts more pressure on the opponents.
“He walked out there at six for two and he was still able to continue striking it for almost 200. That shows you that he’s not going to change the style in which he scores his runs. He’s not going to change the approach. And that looks like a good thing for India going forward because you know that he’s always going to be aggressive and the opposition are not going to be able to run in there and do what they want to do,” Dale Steyn added.
Despite wickets falling at regular intervals, Suryakumar Yadav and young Indian finisher Rinku Singh kept the runs coming to help India post a competitive total in the game. However, South African batters took advantage of the conditions as they approached the chase. South Africa chased down 152 runs in 13.5 overs as rain necessitated a 15-overs-per-side contest.
