"That would have to be up there with the best T20 hundreds I have seen on these shores": Ross Taylor hails Suryakumar Yadav for his stupendous knock

Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has hailed Suryakumar Yadav for his incredible knock against the Kiwis in the second T20I at Mount Maunganui on Sunday (20th November).

The No 1 ranked T20I batter smashed the New Zealand bowlers all around the park during an enthralling knock of just 111 off a mere 51 deliveries.

On the back of his stupendous knock, India won the 2nd T20I by 65 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the first match was washed out due to rain.

Taylor felt that it was one of the best knocks he has seen on New Zealand soil. SKY literally toyed with the bowlers on a pitch where run-scoring didn’t look that easy.

Starting with his trademark whipped flick over fine leg and square leg to the lofted extra cover drive, Suryakumar Yadav accessed every corner of the ground and helped India post a score of 191 in their allotted 20 overs.

Taylor told ESPNCricinfo:

“It was an unbelievable innings. The way he started, the way he hits gaps; I have seen a lot of good innings in New Zealand by McCullum, Guptill, Munro, but that would have to be up there with the best T20 hundreds I have seen on these shores in the history of the game."

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A reminder of why Suryakumar Yadav is the No. 1 T20I batter in the world

The New Zealand legend said that Suryakumar Yadav has a variety of skills which he uses in his shot-making. SKY’s elevation to the top has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Having made his T20I debut in early 2021, Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as the new "Mr. 360" for his sheer ability to access every corner of the ground.

Taylor said:

“He takes calculated risks; the inside-out shot over cover against spinners is such a low-risk shot. I think he had a little bit of luck when he tried to ramp Ferguson, but other than that, I don’t think he really gave him a chance. New Zealand brought up the fielders and he backed himself to hit over them."

He added:

“He doesn’t try and over-hit the ball, try and muscle it over there; there’s still a lot of skill and he played really good cricketing shots."

New Zealand needed a dominant start to harbor hopes of chasing the total down. However, the early loss of Finn Allen put them on the back foot right from the start, and they could never really recover from the early jolt.

Kane Williamson tried to build the innings, but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Deepak Hooda was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 4/10 in 2.5 overs, while Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal also chipped in with a couple each.