Akin to small capsules, certain memory fragments are deposited in our brain. With the passage of time, they keep echoing in the mind time and again. The other day, while there was a discussion about Suryakumar Yadav’s fitness concerns ahead of the Asia Cup, the memory bank transported itself to another time – IPL 2016. To be specific, it was a game played between Rising Pune Supergiants and Kolkata Knight Riders in Pune. Suryakumar essayed his maiden IPL fifty to steer his side to a tense win in tricky conditions.
There was more to it than him compiling a fifty. Alongside stylish lofts, flicks and whips, Suryakumar was prepared to farm the strike as KKR looked to overhaul a target of 161 in tricky climes. It was a sign that after failing to convert starts into scores of substance over previous IPL seasons, the right-hand batter had finally understood the art of playing according to different situations and conditions.
Suryakumar, who was 25 then, went on to become one of India’s mainstays in the shortest format of the game. It often requires a willing suspension of disbelief for a fan to make any sense of his 360-degree batting. Just to put Suryakumar’s breathtaking strokeplay into perspective, he hasn’t just accumulated close to 2600 runs, but he has also scored them at a strike-rate of nearly 170. To maintain such a strike-rate, after playing more than 80 T20Is, speaks volumes of his willow-wielding.
Unfortunately, time stops for none. Suryakumar will be 35 years old next month. His innovative strokeplay involves plenty of turning and twisting of his arms and legs. And the resultant outcome could be an injury or two to the soft tissues. In fact, he is presently recovering from a sports hernia injury.
His ultra-aggressive game also demands a high level of hand-eye coordination. Incidentally, the India skipper has averaged just 15.38 in his last 14 T20Is. However in the nick of time, Suryakumar found his batting rhythm in the 2025 IPL, composing more than 700 runs at a strike-rate of 167.91, only for the injury to act as a hurdle.
It remains to be seen how the experienced batter will adjust to the prevailing climes in the UAE. It certainly won’t be easy for him to return from an injury and immediately regain his mojo. Suryakumar, however, would believe that he can ace one more test with flying colours. As a cricket aficionado, all one can hope for is that his willow will continue to conjure up magic tricks, at least for a couple more years.
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