‘He is no less than Virat, Rohit, Pant’ – Ashish Nehra lauds Suryakumar Yadav for grabbing chances with both hands

Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra lauded Suryakumar Yadav for making use of the limited opportunities provided to him. Yadav made his debut earlier this year and has made a mark for himself in limited-overs cricket for India. In the ODI series against Sri Lanka, he became the Player of the Series after he notched 124 runs from three games at an average of 62.

In the first T20I on Sunday, July 25, Surya showed his class yet again, having scored 50 runs off 34 balls with five fours and two sixes. Although he didn’t get the POTM award, he was India’s highest run-getter on the day and a major architect behind the visitors’ 38-run victory in Colombo. Nehra, who retired from international cricket in 2017, called Yadav an X-factor.

“There are plenty of positives but the biggest positive for me is Suryakumar Yadav and the way he played these two innings. He couldn’t convert the starts into a big inning but when you talk about X-factor, skill, no doubt, Suryakumar Yadav has it in the middle order,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.

The confidence he has shown is worth praising: Ashish Nehra

Before joining Team India, Yadav showed his class for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. In 2018, he joined the team and has impressed one and all. In 108 matches in the IPL, Yadav has scored 2197 runs with 12 half-centuries to his name.

“We have seen that for Mumbai Indians, he has opened, played at No. 3 and 4 as well. Here he played a bit lower in the batting order but if you look at his fours, singles… the confidence he has shown is worth praising,” he stated.

Nehra also stated that Surya’s importance in the national team is no less than the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.

“If after them, you ask me to name a batsman, I would out Suryakumar Yadav there. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya… he is no less than them. He is right up with those guys. Whenever he has been given a chance, he has always adapted even if he isn’t habitual of batting at that position,” he added.