Former Indian Test cricketer and now an expert, Aakash Chopra, was full of praise for middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav for his sensational batting performance on Sunday (July 10) at Trent Bridge. The 31-year-old right-handed batter became only the fifth Indian batter to score a T20I century and played a heroic inning of 117 from just 55 balls. During his stay at the crease, the Mumbaikar, who came to bat at number four after Virat Kohli’s departure in the third T20I, scored 14 fours and six sixes to take India closer to the target of 216 runs.
Former Indian Test batter Chopra praised Surya for his performance against the English side, saying that scoring a century while batting at No. 4 in the third T20I is like climbing Mount Everest.
Reviewing India’s performance in the final T20I on his YouTube channel, the 44-year-old said, “Suryakumar Yadav struck a century. Hitting a century in T20 is almost like climbing Mt. Everest. It did not come of use for India, in the sense that you did not win the match, although in my opinion, any international run you score or wicket you take, it does not go waste.”
“Suryakumar had come after being bothered slightly with injuries, got an opportunity to play here. His last two-three matches were not that good. He has once again proved and stamped his authority.”
For Chopra, Surya was the Player of the Match on Sunday as, according to his analysis, hitting a hundred at four is a herculean task. “The Player of the Match has to be Suryakumar Yadav for a simple reason: to score a century in T20 cricket when you are neither an opener nor at No. 3, you get a chance to bat at No. 4 and there you hit a century.”
