MUMBAI: Life just keeps getting better for Suryakuamr Yadav. An unreal year for him, which saw him score 1,164 points at 46.56 in 31 T20Is, ended on a perfect note for him when on December 27, he was named vice-captain of the Indian team. T20I for the home series against Sri Lanka, which kicks off on January 3 at Wankhede Stadium here.
“It was not planned (vice-captain), but the way last year has been for me, I can say it’s like a reward for me. I feel very good about it and I’m really looking forward to it,” Surya said after scoring 95 for Mumbai against Saurashtra on the second day of the Ranji Trophy game at MCA home ground at BKC.
It was his father Ashok Kumar Yadav who broke the good news to “Sky” on Tuesday night that he had been “promoted” to India’s T20I configuration. “My dad passed on to me (the team), because he’s always on social media. Then we talked. He also sent me a little message: ‘Don’t take pressure and enjoy your stick .”
Of course, it took some time for the news to break.
“I closed my eyes and thought, ‘Is this a dream?'” Surya revealed. Indeed, the last two years – since making his debut against England in Ahmedabad on March 14, 2021 – he has broken 1,408 runs in 42 T20I @ 44.00 at an unreal strike rate of 180.97, with 12 fifty-one 2 cents – has been like a “walk in the clouds” for the Mumbaikar, which beats like a “free bird” as former Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni once called it. If the 32-year-old can’t stop smiling and pinching himself, you can’t blame him!
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SKY moments: how Suryakumar Yadav dominated the T20Is in 2022
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Suryakumar Yadav has taken cricket’s shortest format by storm by becoming the top run-getter in 2022.
In 31 T20Is this year, Suryakumar has shown incredible consistency and punching power, scoring 1,164 carries at an average of 46.56.
He has scored two centuries and nine fifty in the format this year, with the best scoring 117 this year.
Surya, who is also known as Mr 360 for his ability to play shots all around the wicket, is the first Indian to score 1000 runs in T20I in a calendar year and the second player to do so.
He followed in the footsteps of Mohammad Rizwan in 2021, the first Pakistani player to finish with 1,326 runs last year.
But the hitter was unable to replicate his T20I success in the ODIs.
He has scored just 260 points in 13 ODIs this year averaging 26.00 and only half a century under his belt.
Overall, he has gone 43 innings this year, scoring 1,424 runs at an average of 40.68, with two centuries and 10 fifties.
Surya also held the record for most sixes (68) in a calendar year in the T20I. UAE’s Muhammad Waseem has reached 43 sixes this year.
Rizwan held the record for his 42 sixes in 2021 and Martin Guptill also broke 41 in 2021.
Suryakumar cemented his position at the top of the standings after his incredible 111 not eliminated in the second T20I against New Zealand.
Suryakumar gained 31 points in the series standings and his 890 points put him 54 points ahead of Pakistan’s Mohammed Rizwan.
He is also the only batsman from the Test Nations to score two centuries in T20I in 2022.
Suryakumar Yadav finished third in the T20 World Cup with 239 runs after Virat Kohli and Max O’Dowd.
Suryakumar Yadav hit an 80-ball 90 in his first Ranji Trophy match in nearly three years against Hyderabad.
Former India men’s coach Ravi Shastri was impressed with Suryakumar Yadav’s pyrotechnics.
Shastri said he was one of the best T20 players in the world and was a lot like AB de Villiers in his prime.
Suryakumar Yadav has been rewarded for his stunning year with a new vice-captain role for Sri Lanka’s T20Is.
Surya credited Mumbai Indians “two stalwarts” and his wife Devisha for his success in the cricket trip.
“Of course, it still feels like a dream. My years of hard work (paid off). The seeds that I have sown, this tree has finally grown, and I savor its fruits. So, I’m really happy with the way things are going. I want to make sure this patch keeps getting longer. The more I am in this space, the better,” he beamed.
Does the additional “work profile” bring him more pressure? Like most stroke players, Surya doesn’t place much importance on the “P” word.
“Since playing cricket for India, there have always been responsibilities and pressure on me. But at the same time, I said I was just enjoying my game in the middle. I don’t carry any baggage “I don’t think too much. I only think about the hotel and in the net. As far as the game is concerned, I’m just looking to enjoy my game and express myself,” Surya said.
Having played many times with Hardik Pandya for India and Mumbai Indians before that, he enjoys a great equation with the all-rounder. Will he also seek to help him in decision-making? “Absolutely. Our complicity has always been very good. We have played a lot together for India and MI. Our batting numbers are also one after another. We have beaten a lot together. We complement each other. He has been a fantastic leader, as you saw in the IPL, and recently when he captained India. So I really like playing under his captain,” he complimented.
