Suryakumar Yadav is a joy to watch: Rahul Dravid reveals why India batter is No.1 in world

T20 World Cup 2022: Head coach Rahul Dravid heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav, who scored an unbeaten 25-ball 61 with the help of six fours and four sixes.

Suryakumar is a joy to watch: Dravid reveals why India batter is No.1 in world. Courtesy: AP

By India Today Web Desk: India head coach Rahul Dravid was awestruck after Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 25-ball 61 against Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match on Sunday, November 6 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Suryakumar came to bat at No.4 and helped India post a massive target of 187 for Zimbabwe to chase down. His knock was laced with six fours and four sixes.

Dravid mentioned that it’s not easy for a batter to be consistent while playing at Yadav’s strike-rate. In the ongoing mega event, the 32-year-old Suryakumar has scored 225 runs at an average of 75 and a strike-rate of 193.96.

“That’s why he is the No.1 T20I batter in the world at the moment because of that consistency in a format where scoring at a strike-rate that he does. It’s not easy to be consistent with the strike-rate he is scoring at. It’s been fantastic just the way he has been playing,” Dravid was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.

Dravid heaped praise on the Mumbai-born batter for putting in the hard yards day in and day out and reaping the rewards in the form of match-winning knocks.

“He has been very clear in his processes, his tactics and I think he has worked very hard. One of the things about Surya is the amount of hard work he has put in the nets, thinking about his game and fitness. If I look at Surya from a couple of years ago just to see how he takes care of his body and the amount of time he spends on his fitness, he is earning the rewards for the hard work on and off the field,” he stated.

“He is just a joy to watch and it’s a pleasure to watch him bat when he is in that kind of form. He puts on a show without a doubt,” Dravid added.

Suryakumar is currently the third-highest run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup after teammate Virat Kohli and Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd.

India went on to beat Zimbabwe by 71 runs at the MCG and are set to face Jos Buttler’s England in the semi-final on November 10 at the Adelaide Oval.