Suryakumar Yadav proves he is one of a kind, yet again

Ahead of the T20 World Cup, many expected Suryakumar Yadav to be one of India’s shining stars. He had done so regularly in whatever T20I cricket India have played since his debut. His numbers, even when stacked against some of the greatest to have ever graced the sport, stand out.

But when India were rocked early inside the powerplay, that notion was tested to the hilt. Suryakumar, for those unaware, had never played a T20I in Australia prior to the T20 World Cup. And here he was, arguably plying his trade on the fastest pitch in the world and against one of the most hostile fast-bowling units on the planet.

This, for a lot of people, is the perfect recipe for disaster. Add to that how Suryakumar likes throwing caution to the wind, and it would have been easy to think he would flounder, much like his illustrious peers at the other end.

So, when he started batting as if he owned the place, and played as if the surface and the bowlers did not matter, it took almost everyone aback. And that, considering Suryakumar has the highest strike rate of all time among batters to have scored a minimum of 500 runs, is enough to tell you just how special this innings was.

It began in usual fashion for the Mumbai Indians batter. As soon as South Africa began posing questions, his initial instinct for a riposte was aggressive. The second ball was banged into the track outside off stump. Suryakumar shuffled across his stumps and tried to shovel it over the leg side. He did not make contact but the battle lines, by then, had been drawn.

An over later, he squirted a sharp length delivery over first slip for four, making many question if this approach was feasible, both for the batter and for India. With each passing ball, though, it became clear that it was. Not just because others had perished while trying to be a little more cautious, but also because this is what Suryakumar does – he dominates whenever and wherever he bats.

Suryakumar Yadav produced an all-time great innings against South Africa

What followed was one of the greatest exhibitions of stroke-play. The attacking intent was present throughout; he was aggressive against spin, he shuffled and shimmied across his crease, accessed different areas and most importantly, gave South Africa something to think about.

From a purist’s standpoint, it might not have had as many ‘oh my god’ moments as Virat Kohli’s innings the other day against Pakistan. But when considering the trouble India were in, and the way Suryakumar stuck to his guns, especially on a tricky track, you could argue that this innings was just as good, if not better.

This innings also came at a time when India were meekly surrendering the initiative to South Africa. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma struck a six each but could hardly buy a run otherwise. Kohli, too, was hurried into his pull stroke. Hardik Pandya perished to the short ball as well, and Dinesh Karthik’s essay left plenty to be desired. Even Deepak Hooda, who was brought into the side to add batting security, scratched around before nicking through to Quinton de Kock.

As far as support went, Suryakumar had none. Yet, he found the bravery, the courage and the gumption for a fight. It was almost as if he was illustrating that irrespective of the result, he and India would not die wondering.

As it turned out, the Proteas squeaked past the Men In Blue in the final over. Their total ultimately proved to be too less. If you remove Suryakumar’s score, though, you would find that this could have been an absolute hiding. You could even argue that if Ravichandran Ashwin had bowled half as decently as he can, India could have made a match out of this.

That, apart from telling you how brilliant Suryakumar was, only highlights the batting malaises plaguing India. All they needed on Sunday was for someone to just hang around with him and ensure that the scoreboard was ticking. There are problems at the top of the order too and apart from the MI batter, only Kohli has found some sort of fluency at this T20 World Cup.

It is most certainly a question that India will need to find a solution to. But even if they don’t, they know that in Suryakumar, they have someone who can fight fire with fire. A cricketer who can walk the talk and be as aggressive and unrelenting as India have been preaching all these months.

Cricketers of this ilk don’t come around often. If India end up putting everything on his shoulder, it would be a shame, simply put. But you can’t blame India for expecting so much from him either. He can work miracles; in fact, he nearly did on Sunday.