Suryakumar Yadav's critics silenced as Sanjay Manjrekar highlights 'best T20 batter's' value to Team India

Former Indian cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Anil Kumble heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav for his match-winning knock against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024. Sanjay Manjrekar described Suryakumar Yadav as one of the best T20 batters in the world after India's first victory in the Super 8 stage.

Suryakumar Yadav shone with the bat in India's first Super 8 match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday, June 20. The right-handed batter scored 53 runs off 28 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes. Yadav received the "Player of the Match" award for his batting performance on a tricky pitch.

Suryakumar Yadav Chips The Balls Over The Infield - Sanjay Manjrekar

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo's TimeOut show, Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted Suryakumar Yadav's impact on the Indian team, especially on challenging pitches. Manjrekar mentioned Yadav's ability to find gaps with ground shots, stating that he doesn't solely rely on hitting sixes.

"This is the advantage India have for having one of the best T20 batters in the world. Tricky pitch, Rashid Khan on song and again you saw the value that Suryakumar Yadav brings to any team," Manjrekar said.

"And again the thing to like about him which is not really highlighted much is the amount of ground shots that he plays. He chips the balls over the infield in the gaps. So, he's not somebody who's always looking for sixes which means sometimes there can be miss-execution trying to extract power," he added.

India got off to a disappointing start after winning the toss. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 8 runs off 13 balls in the third over. Rishabh Pant played a quickfire cameo of 20 runs off 11 before being dismissed by Rashid Khan. Suryakumar came in to bat when the team was under pressure at 54/2 in 7 overs.

The 33-year-old batter demonstrated positive intent against the Afghanistan bowlers. Yadav scored his second consecutive half-century in the tournament. He was dismissed after reaching the half-century mark. The Men in Blue managed to score 181 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Don't Know Where To Bowl - Anil Kumble

During the same discussion, Anil Kumble said that Suryakumar Yadav's presence adds power and stroke play at number four, putting pressure on opposition bowlers. Kumble highlighted the significance of Suryakumar regaining form in the Super Eights for India.

"It (Suryakumar's presence) gives India the kind of power and stroke play that you need from someone who's batting at number four. It certainly puts pressure on the opposition bowlers because it's not easy to control a Surya in this kind of a form," said Kumble.

"You don't know where to bowl, wherever you bowl, you find it hard to stop him from scoring boundaries. So, yeah, it certainly augurs well. First game of the Super 8s and you have Surya coming back into this kind of form," Kumble added.

The Rohit Sharma-led team is currently in second place in the Group 1 table with two points and a net run rate (NRR) of +2.350. The Indian team will face the Bangladesh team in their next match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday, June 22.

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