Suryakumar Yadav in action for Indian cricket team© AFP
Suryakumar Yadav has been dominating headlines recently as several fans and experts were not happy with his inclusion in India’s Cricket World Cup 2023 squad despite not producing good performances in the ODI format off late. The explosive batter failed to score big in the past few games and the murmur was growing louder with every failed innings. However, the critics were all answered on Friday when he slammed a half-century off 49 deliveries to guide his side to victory over Australia in the 1st ODI match.
“That was what I was dreaming of when I started playing this format. Try and bat till the end as much as possible and finish the game for the team. I couldn’t do that today but definitely loving my new role. I have been wondering what has been happening. The colour of the ball is the same. The teams are the same. The bowlers are the same. I think I was hurrying a bit. I thought, let’s take a little bit more time. Calm myself, take it slowly and try and bat deep,” Suryakumar said after the match.
Mohammed Shami’s crafty bowling performance was beautifully complemented by the grace and poise of Shubman Gill as India defeated Australia by five wickets in the first ODI encounter.
Shami displayed his artistry with impressive figures of 5 for 51, reminding all and sundry of his skills while helping India restrict Australia to 276 after asking the visitors to make first use of the strip.
In reply, Gill once again stamped his authority with a 63-ball 74 and added 142 for the opening stand with the Asian Games-bound Ruturaj Gaikwad (71 off 77 balls) to set the foundation for victory, which, on paper, might have looked a bit more stretched than it actually was.
Victory was achieved in 48.4 overs as Suryakumar Yadav (50 off 49 balls) and skipper KL Rahul (58 not out off 63 balls) also played their part with only Shreyas Iyer (3) and Ishan Kishan (18) missing out on a batting party.
Surya would especially be happy with his effort as he came in when India still needed 92 runs to win. It could have been a bit tricky but along with his skipper, the Mumbai batter showed calmness and also earned confidence with a much-needed half-century.
(With PTI inputs)
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