Former India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu has praised Suryakumar Yadav after his match-winning knock against the United States in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The right-handed batsman has had a tough start to the tournament as he struggled on the two-pace wicket in New York, as did the other batsmen. However, it didn’t take him long to prove why he is the world’s number one T20I batsman.
After scoring 2 and 7 in the first two games, Suryakumar Yadav bounced back by scoring an unbeaten 50 runs against the United States. Chasing 111 runs, India were in trouble after losing the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli by just 10 runs. Rishabh Pant also failed to get going and was out for 18 to leave India reeling at 39 for 3.
However, Suryakumar Yadav stood firm from one end and showed remarkable composure to take India to the finish line in testing conditions. He scored 50 runs off 49 balls and shared an unbeaten 72-run stand with Shivam Dube to help India win the game and secure their place in the Super 8.
Navjot Singh Sidhu praises Suryakumar Yadav:
Following Suryakumar Yadav’s heroics against the United States, Navjot Singh Sidhu praised him for his ability to hit shots all over the park. He said the batsman scores runs in areas where taking shots was considered an offence. The former cricketer-turned-commentator claimed that rival teams find it difficult to prepare a field for a batsman like Suryakumar Yadav. He also praised Suryakumar Yadav for the speed with which he scores runs from him.
“He has created areas where playing shots was considered a crime. Almost 40 per cent of the runs in his innings were at the fine-leg area. He is playing the reverse V. He is doing a 360-degree attack. So that “You can’t set a field. When you can’t set a field, you are left stunned,” Sidhu said on Star Sports.
“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 changes of play “added the commentator.
Meanwhile, India have booked their place in the Super 8. They will face Afghanistan in their first Super 8 match. The game is scheduled for June 20 in Barbados.
