What is the one ritual that Suryakumar Yadav’s wife Devisha follows before every game he plays? She takes his phone from him well in advance, so that her husband doesn’t get distracted by chatter from the outside world. This ritual is part of the process Yadav follows to get into the sort of mindspace that helps him to blank out everything before he goes out to bat.
- Advertisement -
At the moment, the world’s leading T20I run-getter this year seems to be entering the proverbial rarefied batting zone for almost every match, wherein he transcends conditions, attacks and match situations, and is able to execute his audacious range of strokes at will.
Like he did on Thursday against Netherlands at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Coming in with India on a steady 84 for 2 after 12 overs, Suryakumar made light of a sluggish pitch to pulverise an unbeaten 51 off just 25 balls. Suryakumar easily outpaced Virat Kohli at the other end, with the former India captain scoring a solid 62 off 44. The tempo of the innings completely changed after Suryakumar’s arrival, with India taking a massive 95 off the last eight overs.
It’s a treat to the eyes when Suryakumar’s strokes sail into the sky and beyond the boundary. His nimble footwork and impeccable timing contribute in making him arguably the most lethal batsman currently.
- Advertisement -
The cricket world has started to acknowledge just how dangerous Yadav is – perhaps the biggest threat to any opposition. Netherlands pacer Paul van Meekeren was asked about bowling to Yadav. “Over the last 12 months, if not longer, I’ve personally felt he was the biggest threat to bowl to. Just with his open stance, I just felt that the margin of error was a lot smaller compared to Kohli, maybe a bit more traditional. They’re very good players in their own right, and Rohit (Sharma) played some unbelievable shots. When I was bowling, I felt the biggest pressure came when I was bowling to SKY. Obviously, if you miss a little bit, he punishes you. Same with other guys, but he did just a little bit more,” van Meekeren said.
In the past few months, many have tried to dissect Yadav’s shot selection. The Mumbai middle-order batsman’s mind is absolutely clear while playing his strokes. And a lot of hard work has gone into reaching that state of mind, he says.
The way he practises is different from a routine practice session. There is a lot of pressure that he puts on himself in the nets. “When I go back to Mumbai and do it, I try and put a lot of pressure on myself whenever I’m going for a few practice sessions or playing a match scenario or doing anything in the game. So, for example, if I am targeting a few balls, and I have to get N number of runs, if I get out, I just come out (of the nets). That day, I don’t go in to bat again,” Yadav revealed.
- Advertisement -
That discipline and mastery over his range has been reflected in his game in the middle as well. Contrary to how it may appear to those watching, he is not really trying anything out of the box, but instead using all the shots he already has in his kitty.
But how does he manage to get off to a quick start almost immediately. Batsmen usually take at least some time to start middling the ball. Yadav says that is how he has been practising in the last three-four years.
“The situation I go in to bat, there are always two scenarios in front of me – either the team has lost two early wickets or there are already good runs (on the board) and two wickets are down. If less runs are there, then I have to increase the tempo and if there are more runs, then I have to maintain that tempo. It’s simple.”
