Suryakumar Yadav Reveals Who Gave Him The Name 'SKY' At KKR

Mumbai Indians star batter Suryakumar Yadav revealed the instance when former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir nicknamed him ‘SKY’. Calling cricketers with different names, which is more often a nickname they are given by teammates or coaches, is a very common trend in the game.

Some cricketers get nicknames on the basis of their abbreviations (shortened forms of words or phrases). For instance, iconic cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is popularly called MSD and former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers (ABD). Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) incumbent skipper Faf du Plessis is called ‘Faf’ whereas his full name is Francois du Plessis.

It was a similar case for a 23-year-old Suryakumar Yadav, who joined KKR in 2014 and then captain Gambhir named him ‘SKY’. Suryakumar admitted that initially, he wouldn’t recognise if somebody called him by his initials but later he got used to it.

I didn’t pay attention to Gautam Gambhir when he called me SKY: Suryakumar Yadav

“When I went to KKR in 2014, Gauti Bhai called me ‘SKY’ two three times from behind. I didn’t pay attention. He then said, ‘I am calling you only. Look at your initials!’ That’s when I realized that yes it’s ‘SKY’,” Suryakumar told Gaurav Kapur on his YouTube show “Breakfast with Champions”.

Sachin Tendulkar asked me to sit beside him and since then I am sitting there only: Suryakumar Yadav

After playing four IPL seasons for KKR, Suryakumar moved to Mumbai Indians in 2018 and since then he showed massive progress in his batting skills. In fact, the stint with Mumbai Indians helped him to make the cut in the Indian national team. The 31-year-old recalled the incident when legendary player Sachin Tendulkar met him for the first time in the dressing room.

“When I went to the MI dressing room for the first time, there was no room to sit. I was standing with my kit bag. Tendulkar used to sit beside a Ganesh idol. He asked me to sit beside him and since then I am sitting there only. If God has told you to sit besides him, then always do that,” Suryakumar said.

Suryakumar missed the first couple of matches for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2022 after suffering a hairline fracture on his thumb during the third T20I against West Indies in February.

Since he returned in the match against Rajasthan Royals, the Mumbai Indians batter amassed 200 runs in four innings with an average of 66.67.

Also Read: If Ishan Kishan And Rishabh Pant Get Together, There Is No Stopping Them: Suryakumar Yadav