India’s limited overs star batsman Suryakumar Yadav tells mid-day that he won’t hold back his punitive blade in the longer format; Mumbai Ranji team boosted by his presence in today’s game v Hyderabad at MCA’s BKC ground
Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav trains ahead of the Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad at MCA’s BKC stadium yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan
Attacking batsman Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as one of the best white-ball players in the world. He currently holds the top spot in ICC T20I rankings. However, Surya, 32, reckons that red-ball cricket is closest to his heart. The Mumbai batsman also made it clear that he won’t hesitate to play innovative shots in the longer format of the game.
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Ranji game after three years
Surya, who has 5,326 first-class runs under his belt from 77 matches, will be playing a Ranji Trophy game—after nearly three years—against Hyderabad at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra-Kurla Complex ground from today.
“It’s all about the mindset. Whether it is red-ball or white-ball [cricket], my intent is the same. I try to express myself in this [red-ball] format too,” Surya told mid-day on Monday when asked about the challenges of adjusting to red-ball cricket.
Surya, who has scored 14 centuries and 26 fifties in first-class cricket, admitted that it was first-class cricket that gave him early recognition. “I started getting recognition because of my red-ball performances. My white-ball performances came much later. It feels like I am back where I belong. It’s good to be back in the Mumbai dressing room and meet everyone [Mumbai teammates],” Surya remarked.
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When asked whether he will continue to play innovative shots in four-day games too, he said: “[Laughs] Obviously, there are a little bit of restrictions in this format, but if the situation demands, why not?”
Even former India head coach Ravi Shastri has often said that Surya is an all-format cricketer. But Surya, who has represented the country in 42 T20Is and 16 ODIs, is still waiting for his maiden call-up.
“It was really nice of him [Shastri] to say that I am an all-format player. I have always dreamt of playing Test cricket for India. I feel this is the best format of the game and I do have runs in this format as well. Let’s see what the future has [in store] for me,” Surya said.
Surya’s sacrifices
He emerged as the third highest run-getter in the recently concluded T20 World Cup in Australia with 239 runs after Virat Kohli (296) and The Netherlands’ Maxwell O’Dowd (242). However, he has had to sacrifice a lot of things to attain such a performance.
“If you want to be fit and quick on the field, you have to sacrifice a few things. I have sacrificed a lot of food items. I used to love biryani. You won’t believe it… seven-eight years ago, my match-day routine diet would be brownies and ice-cream. Now, it
has come to salads, chicken and a mix of everything.
“The biryani is always waiting in the room. When I have a good day on the field, my wife [Devisha Shetty] tells me, ‘It’s a night to reward yourself and it’s time for some biryani.’ But no sweets, for sure,” Surya signed off.
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