NEW DELHI: Former cricketer Anil Kumble shared his thoughts on
Suryakumar Yadav
's impressive performance against Afghanistan in the Super Eight match of the
T20 World Cup
2024. Kumble believes that Suryakumar's innings put the Afghan bowlers under significant pressure.
During his time at the crease, Suryakumar scored 53 runs from just 28 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of 189.29.
His innings was studded with 5 boundaries and 3 sixes, showcasing his aggressive batting style. However, his knock was cut short in the 17th over when Fazalhaq Farooqi managed to dismiss him.
In an exclusive interview with ESPNCricinfo TimeOut show, Kumble expressed his opinion, stating, Suryakumar's performance gives India the kind of power they needed from someone who's batting at the number four.
T20 World Cup 2024: Points Table | Schedule
"It gives India the kind of power and stroke play that you need at someone who's batting at number four. It certainly puts pressure on the opposition bowlers because it's not easy to control a Surya in this kind of form. You don't know where to bowl, wherever you bowl the field is sort of you find it hard to stop him from scoring boundaries. So yeah it certainly augurs well. First game of the Super 8s and you have Surya coming back into this kind of form," Kumble was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
India emerged victorious in the match after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Despite a shaky start, being 90/4 at one stage, a crucial 60-run partnership between Suryakumar and
Hardik Pandya
, who contributed 32 in 24 balls helped India reach a total of 181/8 in 20 overs.
Afghanistan's bowling attack was spearheaded by Rashid Khan, who took 3/26, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who claimed 3/33.
In response, Afghanistan's chase of 182 runs never gained momentum as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Apart from Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored 26 in 20 balls, with two fours and a six, no other batter managed to surpass the 20-run mark.
The Indian bowling trio of Bumrah (3/7), Arshdeep (3/36), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) proved to be too much for the Afghan batters, as they were eventually dismissed for 134 runs in their 20 overs.
For his crucial contribution with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav was named the 'Player of the Match.'
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