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176 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 170.87 with two fifties is not bad by any means but when you are Suryakumar Yadav, being “not bad” is not enough. He sets such high standards in T20s that the expectations are sky-high whenever he walks out to bat. This IPL 2024 has been slightly different for Surya. The World’s No.1 T20 batter hasn’t quite been able to match his exploits, which is also one reason why Mumbai Indians are languishing at No.9 in the points table.
Surya missed the first few matches of the 17th edition of the tournament as he hadn’t quite recovered from the sports hernia and the ankle injury he had suffered towards the end of last year. One of the highlights of Surya’s campaign this season so far is his belligerent 78-run nock against Punjab Kings. Playing in his first competitive tournament after recovering from twin surgeries, he also has a 19-ball 52 to his credit.
MI may have very little chance of making it to the IPL playoffs but Surya will be extremely crucial for India in the T20 World Cup. Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody said there were never any doubts about Surya’s place.
“If India didn’t pick him, every other team would have wanted to have him in their squad. Surya is coming from a long injury lay off. If anything, he’s saving the runs for the US and the Caribbean. You don’t keep a player with the record that SKY has quiet for too long,” the former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach said on Star Sports.
As far as India’s squad dynamics are concerned, Surya is likely to bat at No.4 in the World Cup starting from June 2 in the USA and West Indies. Surya batted at the same number even during the last edition in Australia and found success. This time, however, the conditions might be different. No one knows how the drop-in pitches in the USA would play and the surfaces in the Caribbean have been slow in the last few years.
Former India pacer Sreesanth believes the nature of the pitches won’t have any bearing on Surya’s performance as he is too good a player and has all the shots to score runs, even off good balls.
“He may not take time at all. He plays his shot and has got this typical attacking way of starting the innings. When the bowlers are trying not to give runs, that’s when he scores runs. He converts good balls into bad balls. If you bowl a very good fifth stump yorker, he has the ability to hit it for six over deep fine leg. He is that difficult to contain. I don’t see any change in his batting. If the ball comes onto the bat then it’ll help him but if it grips then he might take a little bit of extra time. Surya is Surya, SKY has no limits,” he said.
