by Sunil Sarpal

Legendary Australia fast-bowler Brett Lee believes an Indian in-form batsman will someday be a major factor in winning a World Cup for the Indian team. 2022 has been a year in which, through his 360-degree play and astonishing shots, became the toast of T20I cricket.

He is currently the highest run-getter in T20Is this year with 1,164 runs in 31 matches, averaging 46.56 and at a strike-rate of 187.43. He also lit up the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, the first time he’s played competitive cricket in the country. Surya Kumar Yadav amassed 239 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 189.68, often changing the tempo of the innings for India.

“SKY was one of the highlights for me at the T20 World Cup. He continues to bat with the same attitude. Not only will he score big runs but he will also someday win a World Cup for Team India. I love watching him play. My advice to SKY would be no advice. Keep doing what you are doing, don’t change, don’t complicate things, back yourself,” said Lee on his YouTube channel.

Just after T20 World Cup, Suryakumar enthralled cricket fans yet again when he smashed 111 not out off 51 balls against New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. In that match, the rest of the visitors’ batters made 69 runs off as many balls and Suryakumar’s knock was called by Virat Kohli on Twitter as a “video game innings.”

“India did not win the T20 World Cup but the SKY rose. Of course, I am talking about Surya Kumar Yadav. He is the new global T20 superstar. What a sensational 12-15 months he has had on the big stage.”

“He has shown here on Australian grassy wickets where the ball skids through. His fearlessness and his shot selection are like that of a chess grandmaster. His execution is awe-inspiring and the smile on his face when he played it, is priceless,” added an impressed Lee.

On Yadav’s technique of playing shots which has made him stand out from other players, Lee stated that his basics of the game are sorted and wants Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma to let him shine in the coming years for India.

“I like the way he executes the impossible shots because his basics are in place. He doesn’t go out there and just tries to hit the ball that isn’t there to hit. He has a wonderful technique and he is definitely a player for the future.”

“You can trust Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma to just let him be the person he needs to be. SKY would rise and this could lead to many more peaks for India in years to come.”

Sunil Sarpal analyses the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup – semi-final between England and India

England beat India comprehensively in the semis. England won the toss and decided to make first use of the ball.

After the match, Kapil Dev very rightly pointed out that Indians are chokers. (Although this tag was originally awarded to the South African team in 1991)

Before the start of the match, Sunil Gavaskar made a valid point – that Indians chase better than setting a target.

I personally attributed India’s defeat to ‘Law of Averages’ over any other pointer. One bad day in office and India is out of the ICC World Cup.

There are some valid questions on the selection of the side.

1) What is the utility of Axar Patel in the side? Does he fit into T-20 side, if yes, then on what basis – batting or bowling or in the category of being a bits and pieces player? He is neither a free flowing batsman, nor does he spin the ball judiciously.

2) What is Ashwin’s contribution in the side? Batsmen hit him for sixers at will. He is effective only on turning tracks.

3) Rohit Sharma being the captain of the side, performed little in terms of batting. How can a non-performing captain lead from the front?

4) In this match, both Bhuvi and Arshdeep were not disciplined in line and length and gave room invariably to batsmen to play freely.

England Captain Buttler, once settled, scored heaps of runs and India did not have the arsenal to get his scalp.

Indians batted poorly during first 6 overs and scored only 36 runs for the loss of KL Rahul. Another noticeable fact is, that Kohli does not score as quickly as Hardik or Surya K Yadav.

Making a mockery of Kartik vs Pant selection does not leave a good taste and is not a healthy sign for their confidence. As if this is a musical chairs game for them.

One more selection error, if not made, could have strengthened Indian batting. It was the non-inclusion of specialist batsman Hooda in place of bits and pieces Axar Patel.

In a nut-shell, India lost the match because of its own selection errors.