'Still feels like a dream to be seen and called as world's No. 1 T20 batter' - Suryakumar Yadav

Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has been a trailblazer who has taken cricket's shortest format by storm. Inarguably, India's first true-blue Twenty20 (T20) superstar, Surya, has trained his eyes on being successful in longer forms without changing his batsmanship's essence. In an exclusive interview with PTI, 'SKY' spoke about his journey to the top of the T20I rankings, his focus on ICC World Cup 2023 this year, his ambitions to wear the India whites and how his wife Devisha became the force behind the cricketer and the person that he is today.

Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Would you have believed that you would be the world no. 1 batter in the T20 format if you were told one year ago?
A: It still feels like a dream. To be seen and called the world's No. 1 T20 batter, if someone had told me one year back, I don't know how I would have reacted. I wanted to be the best when I started playing this format and worked hard for it.

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Q: The priority in 2023 will be ICC World Cup, and does that mean you will change your game for the 50-over format?
A: I'm not particularly eager to overthink when playing any format. Because I enjoy this game, I put up a show whenever I go to bat. I always dream and visualise that whenever I go in, I want to be the game-changer. I have always loved batting, whether T20Is, ODIs [One-Day Inteernationals] or Ranji Trophy. If I can do what my team wants me to do in 40-50 balls, why should I bat 100 deliveries?

Q: Do you fancy your chances of making the India squad for the 4-Test series against Australia?
A: I started playing age-group national-level cricket in red ball, so the answer lies there. You encounter many tricky yet fascinating situations across five days, and you want to embrace that challenge. I am ready if they [Team India management] need me.

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Q: Skills can be taught, but how does one train one's mind to cope with pressures at the highest level?
A: I would say it was never impossible, but certainly, it wasn't easy. It needed an intelligent approach. Instead of doing a lot of quantity, I did a lot of quality practice. There were a lot of sacrifices made by my family and me. Before making my India debut, I had played ten years of first-class cricket.

Grinding it out at a first-class level, you learn a lot of tricks of the trade. So, when you graduate to the international level and play different bowlers, you must express yourself. But let me tell you this. If you have gone through the domestic grind in India, you are ready for international cricket, and when you start that level, you are not carrying any baggage. Just execute what you did at the domestic level.

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Q: You were India Emerging (U-23) captain nearly a decade back. Over the years, while performing domestic and IPL performances, did you get anxious or angry that a national call-up wasn't coming?
A: I won't say I got irritated, but I would always think about how I could be different to move to the next level. So, hard work continues, and you must also enjoy the game.

That's why you started playing cricket. Whether it was a simple training session or even the healthy food I didn't enjoy earlier, I began to savour it. I knew that if I stopped thinking about outcomes and focused on the process, I would someday break the door.

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Q: Your friend Sufiyan Sheikh said that, at times, you don't wear thigh pads even when you face the best of fast bowlers. Is it true, and what's the reason for it?
A: In the World T20 [ICC T20 World Cup] in Australia, I was wearing thigh pads as it was the first time I was touring the country, and it wasn't a great idea [not wearing them] on those tracks with pace and bounce. But yes, on Indian tracks with low bounce, if I feel that wearing thigh pads would hinder me from playing the shots I love, then I don't wear them.

Q: Can you explain to us a bit about your 360-degree technique?
A: It is an exciting story. In my school and college days, I played a lot of rubber ball cricket. On challenging cement tracks and rainy days, those would bowl from 15 yards. Most of them chucked [threw] hard. Now, the rubber ball from 15 yards will come at 140 plus clicks, and if the leg side's boundary is 95 yards, the off-side would be only 25-30 yards.

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So, to prevent off-side boundaries, most of them would bowl into my body to prevent me from getting easy boundaries on the off-side. So, manoeuvring my wrists, playing those pick-up pulls and upper cuts, have come from those matches. I never try those in the nets. In the nets, I typically like practising and hearing the sound of the bat hitting the ball. If I feel good, I come out.

Q: What kind of bond do you share with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma?
A: I am lucky to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They are a different breed of international cricketers. Things they have achieved, I will never be able to achieve. Recently, I have had some good partnerships with Virat bhai, and I have enjoyed batting with him. Rohit is like an elder brother and my sounding board. When I doubt, I ask him direct questions about my game. He has been an excellent guiding force since I joined MI [Mumbai Indians] in 2018.

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Q: Can you also talk about the contributions of Mumbai Indians and your wife Devisha in your career?
A: In my life and this cricketing journey, there are two pillars Mumbai Indians and my wife, Devisha. Let me elaborate on MI's contribution first. When I came back here from KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders] in 2018, I was looking for an opportunity to bat higher up the order and even without me asking. The management entrusted me with that responsibility.

I grabbed that opportunity, kept performing and never looked back. MI provided me with all the necessary facilities to move up the ladder. In 2016, I got married to Devisha, and when I joined MI in 2018, we [me and Devisha] as a unit started thinking about what we needed to do to make the next grade. It was a dream we both nurtured together.

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She has always been around when I needed her. Even if she doesn't want to travel, I drag her around. She brings in the balance that I need as a sportsman. She doesn't let me get complacent after a good day in the office and, simultaneously, doesn't allow my shoulders to drop after a poor day.

(With inputs from PTI)