"Sky wasn't blue for a year": 'Player of the Series' Suryakumar reflects on slump after memorable NZ series

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], February 1 (ANI): Following India's win over New Zealand on the fourth T20I, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who became the third Indian to complete 3,000 T20I runs, spoke on dealing with his lean patch of 23 innings before his half-century in the second match, saying that while the "sky was not blue for a year, he knew his time would come".
In the biggest development before the T20 World Cup starting in February, Indian skipper Surya shook off a 23-inning slump, registering three fifties in the series and becoming the 'Player of the Series' in this final assignment before the marquee tournament with 242 runs at an average of 80.66, with a strike rate of above 196 and three fifties. Surya, the leader, also continued to shine bright as India headed into the WC without dropping a single series.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Suryakumar said, "It has been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I have always dreamed about when this time would come. I just kept doing the same things I had been doing over the last year and stuck to my routines. I knew I was not out of form, just out of runs. It has been a very good series, and going into the World Cup feeling like this is really special."
"I think the sky wasn't blue for a year, (on his form). But that is life. It is part of the journey. I took it in my stride, went back to the drawing board, and tried to understand what was going wrong," he added.
Surya said that after the series against South Africa, in which he scored just 34 runs in four matches, he had two weeks to spend with close friends, who told him "a few important things I needed to follow".
"That is a sportsperson's life. I have seen so many careers - not just in cricket - where people go through these phases. I knew my time would come if I kept doing the small things right. I am really happy with how things have turned out," he added.
Surya is happy with how things are shaping before the World Cup campaign starts against the USA on February 7 in Mumbai.
"When we go back to Mumbai and play a warm-up game against South Africa, we will sit down and analyse the last five games and the year as a whole - what we have done well and what we can improve. Then we start our campaign," he added.
On the fight shown by Kiwis despite losing wickets, Surya said that it was expected that the opponents would come hard during the run-chase.
"As a captain and as a bowling unit, you are always under pressure. The key is having good plans. It's all part of the learning process. We will sit down, talk it through, and move forward," he signed off.
In the match, India won the toss and chose to bat first. While Sanju fell to a single-digit score, Abhishek Sharma (30 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) also fell, leaving India at 48/2. A 137-run stand between Ishan Kishan (103 in 43 balls, with six fours and 10 sixes) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (63 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and six sixes) enthralled the audience. Later on, a cameo from Hardik Pandya (42 in 17 balls, with a four and four sixes) took India to 271/5 in 20 overs.
Lockie Ferguson (2/41) was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, while Jacob Duffy (1/53), Kyle Jamieson (1/59) and Mitchell Santner (1/60) leaked runs.
In the run-chase, after the Kiwis lost Tim Seifert early, a century stand between Allen (80 in 38 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) and Rachin Ravindra (30 in 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes) threatened to make India sweat. However, Arshdeep Singh (5/51) and Axar Patel (3/33) ripped apart the Kiwi middle-order, and they were skittled out for 225 runs after being 191/9 at one point. (ANI)