IND vs NZ 2021: "He sacrificed his position and let me go at No. 3" - Suryakumar Yadav hails Virat Kohli

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has hailed former T20I skipper Virat Kohli for sacrificing his batting position more than once.

Suryakumar was the batting hero in India’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first T20I of the three-match series in Jaipur on Wednesday. The 31-year-old smacked 62 off 40 as India chased down 165 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

At the post-match conference, the Team India cricketer was asked to elaborate on Kohli’s decision to send him at No. 3 in India’s last T20 World Cup 2021 encounter against Namibia.

Praising Kohli for allowing him to finish the match as India chased 133 with ease, Suryakumar pointed out that it was not the first time that Kohli had sacrificed his batting position. He admitted:

“I was really disappointed when I missed the New Zealand game with back spasms. I wanted to make a mark in the T20 World Cup so it was nice of him.”

The Mumbai Indians (MI) batter further recalled:

“I still remember when I made my batting debut, he was the one who sacrificed his position and let me go at No. 3 when I played against England and he batted at 4. It was the same thing. He asked whether I want to go in so that I get some World Cup game time. It was really nice of him and I enjoyed coming back not out in that game.”

Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 25 off 19 against Namibia as India chased down the target by nine wickets with 28 balls remaining.

“I am happy to bat anywhere” - Suryakumar Yadav

In his short international career, Suryakumar has batted at No. 3 and No. 4 and has looked at ease more often than not. Asked if he likes any specific batting slot, the 31-year-old pointed out that he has batted at every position from opening to No. 7 during his career.

Stating that he is flexible with his batting order, Suryakumar elaborated:

“It’s not like I want to bat at any specific position. I am happy to bat anywhere. I have been batting at the No. 3 position for my franchise for the last three years so it was nothing different for me. I just go out and express myself, the way I do in the nets. I have followed the same process for the last 2-3 years. I don’t try and do anything different. I just want to go out and enjoy myself.”

Having had to wait a long time for his chance to play for India, Suryakumar has made a fantastic start to his international career. In nine T20Is, he has scored 243 runs at an average of 48.60 and a strike rate of 160.92. The talented batter has also crossed the half-century mark thrice in his short T20I career.