'In T20s, he looks like a completely different player' - Aakash Chopra hails Suryakumar Yadav's dominance in shortest format

The Indian team got off to a good start in their five-game T20I series against Australia. Both sides faced off in Vizag for the first T20I on Thursday, November 24, and chased down a target of 209 runs in a game that went on until the end.

During the run chase, skipper Suryakumar Yadav was one of the most important players for India. Scoring 80 runs in 42 deliveries, Suryakumar ensured that India chased the target and registered a win in the first T20I of the series.

Speaking of his performance, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra came out very impressed. Opining that Suryakumar Yadav becomes a different player in T20 cricket, stating that he is unstoppable in the format.

“In T20s, Suryakumar Yadav looks like a completely different player. His approach is completely different. He is unstoppable. Why does that happen? It happens because his DNA has been set that way now. He feels he understands the demands of this format very well, and he can execute his plans according to the prevailing conditions. Even the opposition is wary of his exploits, and it reflects in the field placements they introduce,” Aakash Chopra said, hosting JioCinema’s daily sports show, ‘#AAKASHVANI.’

“In my view, it’s not necessary that players have to be a part of teams in all three formats of the game. Surya can be a T20 cricketer. It’s okay that he’s left alone to focus on T20 cricket for the next six months. I hope we don’t find ourselves in a position where we lose a T20 rockstar just because we want him to be a part of the team in all three formats,” he added.

Mukesh Kumar’s final over was simply terrific: Chopra

Furthermore, Aakash Chopra also talked of Mukesh Kumar's final over in the first innings of the game against Australia. Bowling four overs in the clash, Mukesh Kumar conceded just 29 runs in the process although failing to take any wickets. However, he only conceded five runs in the final over and did well to restrict the Aussie batters.

“Mukesh Kumar’s final over was simply terrific. He gave up only five runs in that over, and it included a no-ball, which was followed by a free hit. But the precision with which he bowled all the yorkers tied the batsmen down. If he had given away something like 15 runs in that over, India would have been chasing anything close to 220 runs, and that would have made things even more difficult for the side,” Aakash Chopra said.