Navjot Singh Sidhu claims Suryakumar Yadav committed a serious crime

Former India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu has heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav after his match-winning knock against the USA in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

The right-handed batsman has had a tough start to the tournament as he struggled on the two-paced wicket in New York just like the other batters. However, it did not take him long to show why he is the number one-ranked T20I batsman in the world.

After scoring 2 and 7 in the first two games, Suryakumar Yadav bounced back by scoring an unbeaten 50 runs against the USA. Chasing 111 runs, India were in a spot of bother after losing the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for just 10 runs. Rishabh Pant also failed to get going and was out for 18 to leave India reeling at 39 for 3.

However, Suryakumar Yadav held firm from one end and showed remarkable composure to take India over the line in testing conditions. He scored 50 runs off 49 balls and shared an unbeaten stand of 72 runs with Shivam Dube to help India win the game and clinch their spot in the Super 8s.

Navjot Singh Sidhu praises Suryakumar Yadav:

Following Suryakumar Yadav's heroics against the USA, Navjot Singh Sidhu heaped praise on him for his ability to play shots all around the park. He said that the batter scores runs in areas where playing shots was considered a crime. The former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that opposition teams find it tough to set a field for a batsman like Suryakumar Yadav. He also praised Suryakumar Yadav for the speed at which he scores his runs.

"He has made areas where playing shots was considered a crime. Almost 40 per cent of the runs in his innings were in the fine-leg area. He is playing in the reverse V. He is doing a 360-degree attack. So you cannot set a field. When you cannot set a field, you are left stunned," Sidhu said on Star Sports.

"The pace at which he scores, if he scores more than 50, he will win the match. Very few players play at that pace. Maybe Hardik Pandya and Travis Head, that too with the new ball against the short ball. There are very few game-changers," the commentator added.

Meanwhile, India have booked their spot in the Super 8s. They will be taking on Afghanistan in their first game of the Super 8s. The game is scheduled to take place on June 20 in Barbados.