Follow UsLike all other teams, India faced the wrath of the New York pitch during their paltry run chase of just 111. Within minutes of the run chase, they were two down, which put a lot of pressure on their No.4, Suryakumar Yadav. Until then, in the tournament, Suryakumar had two disappointing outings, with scores of 2 and 7 against Ireland and Pakistan, respectively.
However, cometh the hour, Suryakumar responded in fine fashion, but his innings was very uncharacteristic, considering his half-century came off 49 deliveries, with a strike rate of just 102. During his stay at the crease, the Mumbaikar had to show street smarts in the way he rotated strike and took the risk on a surface that became progressively slow for teams chasing.
“As I said, it’s difficult to generate that force when there's no pace on the wicket and when someone has read your game nicely. So, at that time, you have to be very smart how you want to extend your innings. If you can't bat the way you have been batting in the last one year or two years, you have to change, according to the situation, what team demands at that moment. And talk to your partner who's inside, calm your nerves down, and then take the innings ahead,” Suryakumar looked back at the clash against USA in the pre-match press conference.
India are in the same group as Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia, and spin could play a huge part in the group, considering the strengths of the teams. Suryakumar admitted that playing spin has always been his ‘strong point’ and added that everyone in the setup comes up with different mindsets to tackle the spin monster.
“That has always been my strong point. I mean, if the wicket is slow, spinner is bowling, or if the wicket is good. That has always been my game. I've tried to play the same way what I do in the practice sessions. And I mean, yeah, everyone has a different game plan. Looking at the wickets against the spinners, all have different mindsets. But yeah, when they come together and bring the skill set, I think it'll be good. And it's nice,” he added.
In India’s last two fixtures - USA and Pakistan - the openers haven’t come good, with a lot of pressure on the middle order, especially the likes of Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar. The duo bat respectively at No.3 and No.4 but do these early jolts change their game plan during the middle overs?
“Nothing like that has happened, because it's a format. We try to play it in that format. And if you're two or three wickets down - at the end of the day, if you are batting first, you have to put runs on the scoreboard. So, your intent doesn't change,” he said.
“So, we both [Pant and Suryakumar] try to bat with the same intent. And we keep telling each other that it would be better if we take a positive route, rather than having a double thought. And the two people who are batting inside, the management and the captain have said that they are the best who can take decisions. From the team's point of view, what is important at that time. So, we think and then act accordingly,” he added.
Suryakumar didn’t make his international debut till he was 30. However, since his debut, his batting has transcended the national team to a different level, with constant expectations from the fans. One thing that has remained constant is how the right-hander has adapted to different roles in the national team without much fuss.
“I didn't come here as a youngster, but I had played domestic cricket and first-class cricket, played IPL seasons. So, I knew when I walk into that dressing room, what would be expected of me, why I am picked at someone's place. And I was very clear in my mind,” he said.
Since his T20I debut, there haven’t been too many middle order batters who have out batted Suryakumar, with 1586 runs, averaging a staggering 48 while still maintaining a high strike rate of 170. What has remained a big surprise is how, despite the high intensity, the right-hander has been overly consistent in his returns, with 13 half-centuries and three centuries.
So what’s his secret?
“Of how I have to play – at that spot. If I want to play at the number 4 spot, how I have to play and how others have played. I always thought that during the most difficult phase of T20 – like between 7 to 14, 7 to 16, - I had thought about that a lot before making my debut for India. If I do well here, if I bat with a good strike rate, then I can be a game changer on that day,” he said.
“And when I kept doing it repeatedly, I felt that this is my game plan going forward. Because if you bat in power play, you know the players are inside. You can play good cricketing shots and hit boundaries.”
“But in between 7 to 15, where can you hit boundaries, where can you step up and take the team ahead at that time so that it gets easier at the death side of it. I thought a lot about this. And I've practiced a lot on this. I've done a lot of match simulations. So now when I go to bat in a match, I know the situations. I try to, again, change the game for the team. And I just try and do that. If it works, then it's fine. If it doesn't, then it's fine. We'll try again.”
India open their Super 8 campaign against fellow Asian side Afghanistan on June 20 (Thursday) at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
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