Melbourne: The legend of Suryakumar Yadav bailing India out of tough situations and propelling them to a massive total added another chapter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday when he hit a blazing unbeaten 61 to set up India’s 71-run win over Zimbabwe in final Super 12 match of Men’s T20 World Cup.
With India now topping Group 2 and all set to face England in the second semi-final at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, the Jos Buttler-led side will have to be very wary of Suryakumar’s ferocious stroke play.
Against Zimbabwe, when India were in trouble after losing three quick wickets, Suryakumar changed the tempo of the match yet again with absolutely insane striking of the ball. He hit six fours and four sixes in a death overs batting masterclass at a strike-rate of 244 to end up with 61 not out off just 25 balls.
His belligerent knock, laced with his trademark scoops over fine leg and mesmerizing lofted shots apart from intelligent wristwork, meant India got 79 runs in the last five overs, enough to get the better of Zimbabwe comprehensively. But the man of the moment feels he is not doing anything different in the matches.
“The atmosphere in the team is very nice, and the build-up to the knockouts has been very nice. My plan is always clear. I’m not trying anything different. I bat the same way in the nets as well,” said Suryakumar after getting the Player of the Match award.
He was also involved in a 65-run stand off 36 balls for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya, who made a run-a-ball 18. “I think the plan was very clear when me and Hardik were batting. He said let’s take the positive route and see where we end up. We started hitting the ball well and never stopped till the 20th over,” added Suryakumar.
He signed off by saying starting afresh in every match will always be the key for him. “Feels really good, but coming out and starting from zero is what I always think when I come out to bat, and I’ll keep doing that. It’s good to see people come out and support us like this even after we’ve qualified.”
–IANS