India captain Rohit Sharma said he was lost for words that would properly describe Suryakumar Yadav’s 26-ball 68 against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup here on Wednesday while Suryakumar hit six sixes and as many fours in his sizzling thump to lift India to 192 for two.
India captain Rohit Sharma said he was lost for words that would properly describe Suryakumar Yadav’s 26-ball 68 against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup here on Wednesday.
Suryakumar hit six sixes and as many fours in his sizzling thump to lift India to 192 for two, enough to get a 40-run win and a spot in the Super 4 phase of the competition.
“The kind of innings he played today, the words will be short,”
Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
“We have seen that with him now and then. He comes up with such kinds of knocks. He just comes out and bats fearlessly which is what the team expects from him.
“Some of the shots he played today, those are not written anywhere in the book. It was very pleasing to watch. Shot selection was also crucial. We know he can play all around the park,”
Rohit exclaimed, all praise for Surya.
India was set for a steady start and both their openers Rohit and KL Rahul failed to make a great partnership. Virat Kohli kept the innings intact, scoring his first half-century (59 not out from 44 balls) in over a half year, even as Suryakumar gave the genuinely necessary driving force in the back-10. The pair set up 98 runs in a solid third-wicket stand.
“We have also informed the group about this (flexibility in the batting order) as well. Most of the guys are ready to take the opportunity and be ready to bat wherever required.
“That’s the flexibility we need. We’ll take those chances. We are going to try and use the right match-ups,”
Rohit said.
“Some of them (shots) were pre-determined, this format is all about what you think and how you prepare before you go out to bat,”
Suryakumar said after being adjudged player of the match.
“I felt the wicket was a bit slow. My plan was clear. My role was to go in and take the tempo up and just express myself, I just loved it.”
On adapting to different positions.
“You (have) got to be flexible, you should be equipped to bat at any number, and I have opened as well. I have batted at all numbers. I enjoyed it.”
India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Standby: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar.