Is Suryakumar Yadav the new “Mr. 360”?

By November 11, 2022 0

There is a new batting sensation in the Indian team. No, I am not talking about Virat Kohli and his resurgence in form. While it is commendable how Virat Kohli has resurrected his legendary status in the Indian cricket history books. Today, we will be talking about one of the most unconventional batting superstars in the Indian team. Any guesses? Well, it’s none other than the new Mr. 360, Suryakumar Yadav.

Suryakumar Yadav is going through a purple patch in his professional life. The star India batter has scored 1,026 runs at an average of 44.60 in 28 innings this year. Surya has hit one century and nine half-centuries with the best score of 117. His strike rate has been 186.24.

The 32-year-old is the first Indian to achieve the feat and only the second player ever to do so, following in the footsteps of Mohammad Rizwan in 2021, with the Pakistan opener finishing with 1326 runs last year.

SKY, as he is lovingly called, is going great in the 2022 T20 World Cup. With 225 runs, Suryakumar Yadav is now second only to teammate Virat Kohli (246) in the tournament’s most runs scored list for players who competed only in the Super 12 phase.

Unorthodox and unconventional shots are the USP of SKY’s batting. As per an ESPNcricinfo report, Suryakumar hits a boundary behind square every 7.4 balls he faces, and every 2.4 balls, he goes behind square. Nobody comes close. He has hit 54 sixes behind square, more than anyone else. He has been in control of 91.1% of the boundaries he has hit behind square.

Additionally, he has taken 51 balls from outside off and put them behind square on the leg side for 141 runs. From the line of stumps and outside leg, he has hit 27 balls for 32 runs behind square on the off side.

Suryakumar can play his shots to any part of the ground. As per a The Cricket Monthly report, behind square on the off side, he averages 54.20 and strikes at 203.76. Add up all the areas behind the wicket, and he stands alone. Among all batters to have scored at least 200 runs behind the wicket since his debut, his strike rate of 250.40 is the best in the world.

He scores in a 360-degree pattern. No doubt he is being called the true successor to the term invented by AB de Villiers; “Mr. 360”. In a recent conversation, De Villiers himself approved of those comparisons and said Suryakumar would be “in the golden books of cricket players” if he continues to be consistent.

“Yes, they are [right in comparing Suryakumar with me]. The only thing he will have to concentrate on is his consistency,” de Villiers told PTI. “He will have to do this for five to ten years, and then he will find himself in the golden books of cricket players.”

Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as a white-ball specialist. If he continues the way he is playing, it won’t be long before he is counted among the best of the game.

Let’s take a look at what the experts have to say about Suryakumar Yadav.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suryakumar Yadav is the current number one batsman in the T20s in the world. In the 2022 T20 World Cup, he has been the second most impactful batter, behind only Glenn Philips.

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