Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was thrilled to see the scorching knock of Indian middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav against Hong Kong on Wednesday (September 31) in Dubai at the 2022 Asia Cup.
Afridi told Samaa TV that he sat down to watch Virat Kohli bat, but Suryakumar’s batting ability really astonished him.
2/2 ✅
Onwards and upwards 💪What a great fight displayed by a spirited team 🇭🇰 pic.twitter.com/1O9KySs8Za
— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) August 31, 2022
What did Shahid Afridi say about Suryakumar Yadav?
This is what the former Pakistani all-rounder had to say about it:
“I decided to watch Virat bat for a while. He took his time because he was aware of the significance of his innings, regardless of who was on the other team. When you score runs, you automatically feel better about yourself. When Suryakumar came in, he struck his first ball for four, and then he smacked his second delivery for another boundary. He had been playing appropriately up until that point. He entered the wicket with a green light to hit everything.”
In the match against Hong Kong, Suryakumar Yadav smashed a 68 off of 26 balls, which included six sixes and the same number of boundaries.
Suryakumar Yadav in T20I in 2022:
Innings – 14
Runs – 514
Average – 42.83
Strike Rate – 190.37
Hundreds – 1
Fifties – 3Only Indian player to score more than 500 runs in this year.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 1, 2022
The right-handed batter combined with the experienced batter, Virat Kohli, to contribute 98 runs to a partnership for the third wicket, which shifted the momentum in favor of India. As a result of his contributions, the Men in Blue were able to raise their total from 94-2 after 13 overs to 192-2 after 20 overs.
Suryakumar Yadav was quite entertaining to watch. Afridi complimented not just his batsmanship but also his body language and his confidence throughout the innings.
“Body language is quite crucial, and it is essential to project an air of self-assurance at all times, whether you are taking a single, defending, or hitting a six. In addition, the self-assurance that he displayed while playing such shots was excellent, and he kept the fans interested,” added Afridi.
