Asia Cup 2022, IND vs HK: 'I am flexible to bat at any number' - Suryakumar Yadav
India was all over Hong Kong, winning by 40 runs during Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Wednesday. Suryakumar Yadav nailed it with an unbeaten 68, batting at number four. He has affirmed that he is comfortable batting at any position.
FollowHard-hitting Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has professed that he is adaptable enough to bat at any position in the Indian Twenty20 International (T20I) side, having turned out for the Men in Blue in different roles, even as an opener. He scored a scintillating unbeaten 26-ball 68, paving the way for India's 40-run win over Hong Kong, sailing into the Super Four stage of the 2022 Asia Cup on Wednesday. On a two-paced wicket, Suryakumar batted at number 4 and played a broad range of shots, including six sixes and fours.
"I am flexible to bat at any number, wherever you tell me. I have told the coach and captain to send me at any number but play me," Suryakumar said during the post-match presser. Vice-captain KL Rahul, coming off an injury, has looked out of sorts so far. Against HK, he toiled to score a 39-ball 36.
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"So, you are saying we should not play KL bhai? He is coming after an injury, and he needs some time now. We have time right now," SKY wondered on being asked if he could open the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. With the ICC T20 World Cup just around the corner, India is experimenting to find the best batting combination.
"Things will go on. There are a lot of things we are trying and experimenting with. There are things we want to do, and it's better to try them in matches rather than practice sessions," added SKY. After being invited to bat first, India had a gloomy start, with Rahul and Rohit failing to covert their beginnings. At the same time, former skipper and top-order batter Virat Kohli achieved an unbeaten 44-ball 59.
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"It is a challenge to bat first. We are working on exactly what sort of target we need to set while batting first. That's what we are trying to get right. Today as well, we were trying to do that. Once we started batting first, what total should it be, what tempo and how to finish? Who are the batters left [who can come in], and what will be their role? It was evident for us," Sky continued.
"So, if I couldn't accomplish that role, then obviously the next one, Rishab [Pant] would have done, if not DK [Dinesh Karthik] he would have done and then we had Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], even he was there to do that. So, we have enough firepower to do whatever we need to in the first innings. It will get done," reckoned SKY.
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Suryakumar altered the game's complexion with his 360-degree hitting. "The situation was such that I had to go and bat out in the middle the way I did. At the start, the wicket was a bit slow. Once I got in, and after a chat with Virat, he told me to express myself and bat how I usually bat. My plans were clear on the way to bat, and I enjoyed it," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
