Suryakumar Yadav produced yet another jaw-dropping innings, making a 51-ball 112* in the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Rajkot. He walked in when India were 53 for 2 in the sixth over and went on to score a century off just 45 balls. It was India's second-fastest T20I century and Suryakumar's third in 43 T20I innings. Here's what Hardik Pandya, Rahul Dravid, Yuzvendra Chahal and many others had to say about his performance.
Hardik Pandya: Today it felt like it was Sri Lanka against Surya. I always mention that someone like Surya is so important for us in white-ball cricket because the way he plays some of the shots, it breaks the morale of the bowler, and that helps the other batsmen as well.
He has been surprising everyone every innings, and he is letting everyone know that this batting is very easy. He has been playing blinders after blinders, which is now becoming a habit. If I was bowling to him, I would get disheartened because of the kind of shots he has been playing… he keeps showing his magic.
This is pure entertainment
— Lasith Malinga (@malinga_ninety9) January 7, 2023
A T20 batting masterclass from SKY
Loved watching every minute of it even though it was against SL.
World's best by far!#INDvSL
Rahul Dravid (in a chat with Suryakumar on bcci.tv): It's lovely to have someone here with me who I am sure as a young kid growing up didn't watch me bat. The form you have been in is exceptional. Every time I think I have not seen a better T20 innings, you show us something even better.
Yuzvendra Chahal: What he does in the nets, you watch in the match. The way he has been batting, we try to bowl our best to him in the nets. I think he is batting on a different level from others, and I am happy that I am in his team.
Farveez Maharoof: The way he batted, I reckon he deserves a statue of himself. I heard he is from a place called Chembur in central Mumbai, he deserves it. Flawless, class, you name it. If the bowler has plan A, Suryakumar has plan B and plan C already lined up. I just cannot imagine a bowler bowling at him in this form, for he has been hitting sixes just for fun.
Wow SKY , I just took a short flight but looks like you've flown far higher than me today
— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 7, 2023
Yet again an astounding , gobsmacking knock @surya_14kumar #INDvSL
Wasim Jaffer: Every time India has got 180-plus or 200, he is the guy who has made it possible. When he is in that kind of form, there's nothing you can do. He makes you feel helpless as a captain and as a bowler, and you can just kind of admire the talent or the quality he possesses. I think he is at the top of that list [of all-time T20I batters]. Every bowler wants him to get out, play a bad shot or mistime, otherwise if he plays like that, whatever you throw at him, he has got an answer for that.
Naveed Nawaz, Sri Lanka assistant coach: It was an outstanding innings by Suryakumar, which took the game away from us. We tried several things, our bowlers tried a couple of plans, which didn't go well obviously. He was striking at 200 and sustained it till he got his hundred. So that's a special skill he has achieved.
Dasun Shanaka: I wish the Indian team [on the series win] and Surya especially, he outplayed us in this game.