"You are forced to play on Surya's terms" - Aakash Chopra lauds Suryakumar Yadav's knock in 1st IND vs AUS T20I

Aakash Chopra has lauded Suryakumar Yadav for forcing opposing teams to play on his terms whenever he walks out to bat.

Australia set India a mammoth 209-run target in the first T20I in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. Suryakumar then smashed 80 runs off just 42 deliveries to help the Men in Blue register a two-wicket win with one ball to spare.

Reflecting on India's chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that Suryakumar's presence in the middle makes the opposition's plans go haywire. He explained (8:30):

"Suryakumar Yadav - the good thing about his batting is that he puts pressure on the bowlers that they will have to do something different for him because he will hit if they bowl him a normal ball."

The former India opener added:

"As soon as he walks out to the middle, you say that a deep fine leg is required, so you have to bring third man and mid-on in. So suddenly you are forced to play on Surya's terms, which is very interesting."

Chopra pointed out that the unconventional batter is an excellent player on flat pitches. He questioned whether a player needs to be fielded in all three formats just because he has excelled in one.

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"Ishan Kishan has something that Steve Smith doesn't" - Aakash Chopra

Ishan Kishan scored 58 runs off 39 deliveries. [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Ishan Kishan's six-hitting ability sets him apart from Steve Smith, who struggled to force the pace during Australia's innings. He elaborated (9:40):

"Ishan Kishan played well. Jason Behrendorff bowled a maiden over but despite that, Ishan Kishan has something that Steve Smith doesn't, he hit sixes while standing at his position. He is brilliant but he also got out."

The cricketer-turned-commentator praised Rinku Singh for ensuring that India got over the line in a nail-biting finish. He said:

"Wickets fell after that and the match became very interesting. Then Rinku, who has matured through the IPL, came. He batted extremely well and won the match by hitting a six. The way he batted under pressure, for me, the two biggest stars of this match were Mukesh Kumar and Rinku Singh."

The hosts needed one run off the final delivery of their innings. Although Rinku smoked the ball for a six, those runs weren't credited to his account as Sean Abbott had bowled a no-ball, which resulted in India achieving the target before the maximum was struck.