It was a special knock from Suryakumar Yadav in the third T20I against Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter continued from where he left off in 2022 and scored a blistering hundred, ultimately finishing with 112 off 51 deliveries. In the process, the 32-year-old scored some of the most unbelievable shots, scoring in every corner of the ground as he hit seven fours and nine sixes in his innings. It was his knock that helped India beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the series decider and help the Men in Blue clinch the series 2-1.
Following his record-breaking innings, cricketers and experts from all around the world are showering praise on the Mumbai Indians star. While comparisons with 'Mr 360' AB de Villiers were obvious with his style of stroke making similar to the way the South African went about his batting, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria compared him with the West Indian legend Chris Gayle, even calling him a new 'Universe Boss.'
"The new Universe Boss is Suryakumar Yadav-the beast. Now what can I tell about this lad, even before I have said that a player like Suryakumar comes once in a lifetime. The innings which he played today, scoring 112 off 51, no one can replicate that,” Kaneria said as quoted by Hindustan Times.
"You can speak about ABD, Chris Gayle but even these two look pale infront of Surya. He has already eclipsed them and has taken T20 cricket to a whole new level,” he added.
Arshdeep Singh Bounces Back Strongly In Rajkot
After the second T20I In Pune where India faced a defeat by 16 runs and Arshdeep Singh was trolled on social media for bowling 5 no balls which eventually cost the team the match despite Axar Patel and SKY's knocks, the left-arm pacer bounced back strongly in the final T20I after Suryakumar's hundred. Defending 228, Arshdeep finished with figures of 3 for 20 and didn't bowl a no ball in his 2.4 overs. Hardik Pandya, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal picked up 2 wickets each while Axar Patel also chipped in with a wicket to wrap up the series.
Earlier Shubman Gill's 46 off 36, Rahul Tripathi's 35 off 16 and Axar Patel's unbeaten cameo of 21 off 9 also had a role to play in India managing to post a mammoth total.