Mumbai : Following his side’s win over Gujarat Titans and maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century, the cricketing fraternity took to social media to laud star Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav for his explosive knock.
Rashid Khan’s valiant knock of 79 was insufficient as Mumbai Indians registered a 27-run victory against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium in Maharashtra’s Mumbai on Friday. Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar lauded Suryakumar for his special knock and also pointed out the shot that stood out for him the most.
“@surya_14kumar lit up the evening sky today! He played excellent shots through the innings but the one that stood out for me was the 6 over third man off @MdShami11. The way he opened the face of the bat to create that angle off the blade at the same time is very very tough to do and not many batters in world cricket can play that shot. @mipaltan #MIvGT #IPL2023,” tweeted Sachin.
Star India batter Virat Kohli, who has struck many memorable partnerships with Surya, also took to Instagram to express his pleasure of watching Suryakumar’s innings.
‘Tula Maanla Bhau’, said the caption of Virat’s Instagram story.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag also lauded Suryakumar for showcasing unreal acceleration after reaching his half-century.
“53 no at the end of 17th over and 103 not out by the 20th. Incredible #SuryakumarYadav. Ghazab batting,” tweeted Sehwag.
Former West Indies bowler Ian Bishop also heaped praises on Suryakumar, calling his T20 batting as “unprecedented”.
“Suryakumar Yadav batting in t20 cricket is unprecedented,” tweeted Bishop.
Former Australian batter Aaron Finch also tweeted, “This might be the best innings I’ve ever seen in t20 cricket! He is batting on a different level right now! @surya_14kumar
@IPL.”
England’s explosive T20I batter Liam Livingstone also tweeted expressing his admiration for one of Suryakumar’s impressive shots in the innings.
Legendary Indian batter Mithali Raj said that the knock by Suryakumar was “supreme” and he “never ceases to amaze” her.
“He never ceases to amaze me! @surya_14kumar hits these boundaries & you start wondering how he manages to pull off these mind-boggling strokes. That sliced six over the third-man region was so special! A genius batter at his best, a Supreme knock from Suryakumar! #MIvGT #IPL2023,” tweeted Mithali.
Current West Indies skipper Shai Hope also tweeted, “How is that even possible #IPL2O23.”
With this knock, Suryakumar has climbed to number three in the batting charts. In 12 matches, he has scored 479 runs at an average of 43.54 and a strike rate of over 190.83. He has scored a century and four half-centuries in IPL 2023, with the best score of 103*.