"Driving through offside was big plus": Gavaskar hails Suryakumar's "boost" providing 82* at Raipur

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], January 24 (ANI): Following India's memorable win over New Zealand in the Raipur T20I, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar hailed skipper Suryakumar Yadav for his return-to-form knock, lauding his game awareness and how it is a big boost for India ahead of the T20 World Cup.
After 23 innings, for the first time since October 2024, Suryakumar scored a fifty in T20Is. Not only just that, but the Indian skipper also enthralled the Raipur crowd by showcasing the Surya, which ruled T20I cricket not so long ago, be it through his classy, caressing drives down the ground or his trademark 'Supla' shot. This 82* in 37 balls, with nine fours and four sixes, is no less than a century, given the circumstances it came in during the match, with India at 6/2. It also came at the perfect time, in India's last assignment before the T20 World Cup starting from next month. '
Speaking on 'Cricket Live', JioStar expert Gavaskar pointed out how he managed to get his "eye in" with Ishan going hard at the other end, and his drives through the offside were a positive as he looked to play as straight as possible.
"Surya's innings showed that he was aware of the situation. He was batting on 11 off 11 deliveries. In a partnership of 97, 76 were scored by Ishan Kishan. That also shows the skipper's maturity. There was another man batting so well, so he was giving him more of the strike, as well as getting his eyes in, getting the circulation going in the legs with singles and twos, and therefore getting himself ready for the big push," said Gavaskar.
"After Ishan Kishan got out, he was the one who took the initiative and started hitting the ball. Besides everything else, driving through the offside was a big plus because that means he was looking to play straight as much as possible. Once you have got that, then the other shots can come into play. Eighty-plus not out, a fabulous, fabulous innings and just a big, big boost for the Indian team before the T20 World Cup," he added.
He also pointed out how Ishan and Surya have played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL together and know each other's game well.
"When you play for a franchise and spend more than two months travelling all around India, you develop a kinship with that person. Knowing Ishan Kishan's nature, he is a very fun-loving guy. You can see how popular he is in the dressing room. When he came out, Rinku Singh and Abhishek were having fun around him. I think it has got something to do with the new hairstyle that he has got. It is great to see the team spirit in the squad because that's what you want in tough situations," he concluded.
Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Knocks from skipper Mitchell Santner (47* in 27 balls, with six fours and a six) and Rachin Ravindra (44 in 26 balls, with two fours and four sixes) were the highlights as the Kiwis posted 208/6 in their 20 overs. Kuldeep was the pick of the bowlers for India with 2/35 in four overs, with Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube getting a wicket each.
In the run chase, India lost Sanju Samson (6) and Abhishek Sharma (0) early, but Ishan (76 in 32 balls, with 11 fours and four sixes) and skipper Surya (82* in 37 balls, with nine fours and four sixes) turned the tide with an unbelievable 122-run stand in eight overs. Shivam (36* in 18 balls, with four and three sixes) also played a quick cameo, taking India to the target in 15.2 overs. (ANI)