Indian batting maverick Suryakumar Yadav recalled the “defining knock” of his career, reminiscing about the incredible half-century he mustered during the Super 12 encounter of the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. He calls the one in Perth used for the fixture the “most challenging” surface he encountered in his T20I career over the past two years.
With rain around at the heels of the Australian winters, the track at the Optus Stadium spiced up further and accentuated the seam movement that the pacers could extract off a surface renowned for offering them steep bounce and pace from the shorter lengths.
It ruffled up the Indian feathers. Opting to bat first in anticipation of a strenuous run-chase later in the night, India found it extremely tough to ride the bounce against a South Africa pace battery known to exploit such conditions. That, barring a certain No.4 batter, who took centre stage and produced 68 of the most impressive runs made by anyone throughout the competition.
Suryakumar’s 40-ball stay featured terrific grit and skill on display as he looked at home against an exceptional bowling unit, carrying on his incredible form despite the challenge posed by the pitch in Western Australia. It was him who took India to a just-about-competitive 133/9 off the 20 overs, with the next highest score being 15 from skipper Rohit Sharma.
“I think that half-century against South Africa in Perth was the defining knock for me. It was the most challenging wicket I have faced till date. Before the game, I went to bat in the nets for 15 minutes, and I got the feeling of Perth there itself,
Suryakumar told the Indian Express.
The player remembers practising a minimal 15 balls in the net session leading into the game and telling batting coach Vikram Rathour he had enough in the tank for the game.
“The practice pitches were quick. So I faced a mere 15 balls and told Vicky paaji (batting coach Vikram Rathod) that I am done for the day, whatever batting is to be done will be done in the match.”
When he walked out in the middle and faced a few balls, Suryakumar said he recognised the tracker is quicker than he imagined and made a point to change strike to ensure he has some time to assess what shots he can execute in Perth, which also has a large outfield and makes it very difficult for the batters to line-up the ball towards the boundary.
“When I went in to bat, I told myself ki yeh pitch toh sochne se bhi jyada tez hai (this pitch is quicker than I thought). So, when I went to the non-striker’s end, I kept thinking which shots I could play, as there was bounce too. When we were 49 for 5, we had nothing to lose. We could have got all out for 75, but I decided to take the positive route.”
It was perhaps the knock of the competition that was played in tough conditions, coinciding with the top-end of the Australian season, unlike other ICC events played in the country during the February-March peak season when the tracks settle down and give batters more of the say in the matter.
For Suryakumar, the innings helped dispel doubts around his ability to nail it in different conditions as he further sharpened his excellent record in T20Is by finishing as India’s second-highest run-getter at the T20 World Cup behind the great Virat Kohli.
