Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has lit up the ongoing T20 World Cup with his flair and flamboyance and is one of the reasons behind the Men in Blue coasting through to the semi-finals. Suryakumar Yadav has scored 226 runs in five matches including three half-centuries at a whopping strike rate of 193. Surya, who became the No. 1 T20 batter in the world, recently became only the second batter after Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan to score 1000-plus runs in a calendar year in shortest format.
Surya displaced Rizwan only from the top in the ICC rankings. Despite there being a huge difference in the playing styles, both batters have been effective in T20Is for their respective sides, however, Rizwan hasn’t been himself in the T20 World Cup having scored just 103 runs in the five games. The fast bowlers and the middle-order has bailed out Pakistan in the matches they have won and they will need runs at the top order from him and skipper Babar Azam, if they have to overcome New Zealand.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi praised Surya after his whirlwind knock of 61* off 25 balls against Zimbabwe while also laying criticism against Rizwan of not being able to reinvent himself. Afridi said that T20 is a format where the batter has to develop a few new shots to be able to more runs and said that Rizwan could learn a thing or two from Surya.
Afridi’s response on Samaa TV came after the anchor asked him the question in reference to one Rizwan’s recent statements. Rizwan was recently asked if he wanted to change his gameplan now that opposition has stared coming up with plans to counter him, but he didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Bilkul theek kaha. Sabse important cheez jo mention huya hai ki 200-250 domestic matches khel ke woh India team mein aaya hai. Uss ladke ko apni game ka pata hai. Jitni bhi shotein marta hai woh achi ball o pe bhi maarta hai because uss cheez ki usne practice ki hai. Jitni skill aapke paas hogi utne ache impact wale player aap honge. Toh apko shots develop karne parenge, yeh format hi waisa hai (You are absolutely right. The most important thing about Suryakumar is that he played 200-250 matches in domestic circuit before coming to international cricket. He knows his game. And he can target the good balls as well because he practices those shots. In this format, you need to evolve as a batter and develop your game),” he said.
