SKY ROCKETS!

Suryakumar Yadav is perhaps India's most important batter heading into the T20 World Cup

- NEERU BHATIA 

For the Parsee Gymkhana club in Mumbai's Marine Drive, Suryakumar Yadav is the most important cricketer in its lineage. He is, after all, the first player from the club to play for India. Yes, Farokh Engineer, Rusi Surti, Polly Umrigar and Nari Contractor also wore India whites, says club vice president Khodadad Yazdegardi, but they all played for Parsee Cyclists.

"When he plays for his club, he only wears club colours. If he wears the helmet, he tapes over the India colours," says Yazdegardi. Even while playing for India, Yadav keeps track of every club game. The club, in turn, ensures that he gets all training facilities when he is not playing for India. "During the Police Shield SS (2021), he carried two kit bags during matches-one was his own, and the other was full of gloves, pads and T-shirts, which he distributed among the club players," says Yazdegardi. "The prize money he got went to the groundsmen. Whenever he is in Mumbai, he wants to hit the nets. He trains for hours and hours, and is still grounded."

Some would say he has had to be so. A late bloomer-he debuted at 30-Yadav has now become the template for India's new style of T20I batting, and is arguably its most important batter, especially heading into the World Cup. There is no anchoring or pacing; just playing shots from ball one. Take, for instance, the 22-ball 61 against South Africa in Guwahati on October 2, or the brilliant 117 off 55 against England at Trent Bridge in July.

 

Currently ranked second in the world, Yadav's strike-rate in 2022 is a whopping 180.29, while his career strike-rate is 176.81 across 34 matches. He has hit 50 sixes in T20Is this year; the first player to do so in a calendar year.