Suryakumar Yadav hits form at the right time

Irfan Pathan and Sunil Gavaskar hail Suryakumar Yadav’s return to form after his rapid fifty powered India to a series-clinching T20I win over New Zealand.

Suryakumar Yadav, has scored 171 runs in the series, with two T20Is yet to go.

IMAGE: Suryakumar Yadav, has scored 171 runs in the series, with two T20Is yet to go. Photograph: BCCI

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan showered immense praise on captain Suryakumar Yadav after another swashbuckling batting display on Sunday to help India defeat New Zealand by 8 wickets and gain an unassailable 3-0 lead over the visitors in the five-match T20I series.

Surya scored rapid fifty, his second of the series, India chased down the 154-run target in just 10 overs

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan praised lauded the Indian captain on his return to form

'I had strong belief that Suryakumar Yadav is going to come back in form. He played good in the first match as well, scored a half-century in the second and then he followed it up with another fifty in Guwahati. It shows that he is in solid form. Surya is back! He looked in his comfort zone,' Pathan said.

Suryakumar has now scored 171 runs in the series, with two T20Is yet to go.

Speaking on JioHotstar, battiing legend Sunil Gavaskar said that Suryakumar's form ahead of the World Cup had arrived at the right moment.

'His knock the other day in Raipur gave him exactly the confidence he needed. He hasn't been short of form; he's been short of runs,' he said.

'He has been batting very well in the nets. He's not struggling there, he's hitting the ball cleanly and all around the ground. It just wasn't working for him in matches. Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of luck to get going.

'This time, he didn't even need luck. That innings was exactly what he needed,' Gavaskar said, adding that the shots played were a clear sign of renewed confidence.

Suryakumar Yadav has found his groove

Suryakumar has found his groove, and now at No. 4 India has an insurance cover for the odd failure Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan are going to have at the top.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra echoed the view.

'He seemed to have realised that he needs to spend some time (in the middle). You have to accept that you need runs. Therefore a lot of strokes (to be played) along the ground, and not taking too many chances.

'More importantly, he never allowed his ego to come in when Ishan Kishan was going hammer and tongs at one end. These are important things as you are not thinking only about this bilateral series, as this is a preparation for the World Cup,' he said during a chat show.