Suryakumar Yadav made the headlines for everything good he did against Hong Kong on Wednesday (August 31) to secure a win for this side. He scored an unbeaten 68 off just 26 balls, including 6 fours and as many sixes. In the last over itself, he smashed four biggies to take his team to a mammoth total.
Following which, when Yadav was walking back to the pavilion after the end of the first innings, Virat Kohli bowed down to him as a gesture to appreciate the right-handed batter. In the post-match conference, Yadav opened up on Kohli’s gesture, saying that he never saw anything like it.
“It was a very heartwarming gesture. I never saw something like that. I was looking at him and I was like, “why isn’t he going ahead?” Then I came to him and urged him to walk together. He is so experienced,” said Suryakumar when asked about Kohli’s gesture.
Notably, when Yadav came to the crease, India were struggling to find acceleration in their low-pace innings. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were almost batting run-a-ball and the men in Blue’s innings were going in no direction. Yadav’s entry changed the rhyme of the game as he smashed four boundaries in the first two balls he faced, indicating his intentions.
Yadav also revealed his chat with Kohli, who was batting at the other end when he came out in the middle, on how to approach the rest of the innings.
“The situation was such that I had to go to the crease and play fast. Because the wicket was a little slow in the starting, I talked to Virat Kohli, he said ‘just express yourself and do as you bat’. My plan was also very clear on how to bat so it was fun,” said Suryakumar.
Thanks to the win, the defending champions have sealed a spot in the Super Four of the six-team tournament. The winner between Pakistan and Hong Kong on Friday (September 2), will qualify for the next round from the same group.
