IND vs NZ 2022-23: India prepares to take on New Zealand in the second T20I in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Meanwhile, Glenn Phillips has lavished praise on Suryakumar Yadav for his "incredible" batting.
Wicketkeeper-batter Glenn Phillips of New Zealand voices that he can't even "dream" of pulling off some of the beautiful shots Indian middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav plays so easily. Surya, the world number one batter in the shortest format, will lock horns against Phillips's New Zealand in the second T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday. At this venue, the Kiwi power-hitter has liking recollections of scoring a 46-ball century. Phillips also cited that the "high risk-high reward game" that Surya plays keeps the opposition in the match, as it has the danger of getting out if some adventurous shots aren't suitably directed.
"He [Surya] is incredible. The things that he does I wouldn't even dream of doing. I would love to try, but we have very different games. The wrist strength he's got to be able to hit balls for six in extremely awkward areas is a talent you rarely see," Phillips told stuff.co.nz.
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"I have my strengths, and he has got his, and we go about our jobs differently. And the way we both play presents opportunities for the opposition to get us out. It's part of the risk and reward of middle-order cricket in T20," added Phillips. Surya has been the world's highest run-scorer in the 2022 calendar year, with a whopping 1,040 runs at an average of 43.00 and a majestic strike rate of 186.00.
Phillips is eighth in the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) T20I batters' list, scoring 650 at a rate of 158. He fears Surya's strike rate would skyrocket even higher on suitable batting surfaces, like Bay Oval and McLean Park (Napier). "I could easily see [Surya's] strike rate being even higher here than in Aussie, with the slightly smaller grounds and the pitches very similar, potentially a bit bouncier with a bit more grass on them. It's going to be very interesting what sort of strike rates we see here," he concluded.