Suryakumar Yadav‘s journey to a maiden India call-up has not been a straightforward one; indeed, many believed it should have happened much earlier. When the BCCI announced the squads for the white-ball leg of the Australia tour at the end of last year, many were flummoxed to see Suryakumar’s name not among the players set to board the flight Down Under. Such has been his consistency in domestic cricket and in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians that a national call-up has been mooted for a while but never materalised. Until now, that is, since he was included in the T20I squad for the home series against England.
The 30-year old has regularly been one of the better performers in domestic cricket across formats, which is no mean feat given that he plys his trade for Mumbai, long seen as a hotbed for talented cricketer’s in the country.
But while the man nicknamed ‘Sky’ might not be as flashy as some of his contemporaries, he has mastered the art of doing a job for the team with minimal fuss.
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Suryakumar’s national recognition might be coming a few years later than expected, but that doesn’t mean he is without admirers in the world of cricket – perhaps the biggest among them being former India international Gautam Gambhir.
It was under Gambhir’s tutelage at the Kolkata Knight Riders that Suryakumar was first given an opportunity to shine on a bigger stage. Used as a lower-order finisher in 2014 thanks to his innovative shot-making, he excelled in that role as KKR went on to lift their second IPL trophy.
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He was promptly promoted up the order and even named KKR vice-captain, such was the faith Gambhir had in both his batting and overall impact on the squad. Yet it was clear the responsibility was too much too soon, as he struggled to cope with the new demands and his form nosedived.
He was eventually released by the side ahead of the 2018 player auction and Mumbai Indians – the team where he started his career but for whom only played a solitary game till that point – paid Rs. 3.2 crore to secure his services.
Having matured now as a player, he shone for Mumbai. Playing in a new position as an opener, Suryakumar ended the season with 512 runs at an average of 36.57 and a strike rate of 133.33.
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Since then he has become a mainstay of MI’s middle-order and was in amazing form during the 2020 season as the side went on to lift their fifth title. In a team full of superstar names, Suryakumar stood out solely due to the nature of his performances.
Yet while it is fair to say that the IPL was a perfect platform for him to shine, it was the hard work he put in all the years before that paid off in the end.
Long Journey
Like many before him, Suryakumar’s love for the game came from an early age and his skills were honed playing on the streets of Maharashtra along with his friends.
It was his father who would eventually notice his son’s inclination and talent for the game and enrolled him in a cricket camp in Chembur. That started a journey which saw him go through the Elf Vengsarkar Academy through to age-group cricket in Mumbai before he made his List A debut for Mumbai against Gujarat in early 2010. He would make his first-class debut by December that year.
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Since then, he has been a consistent performer wherever he has played and is now widely recognised as one of the best batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit.
How far his international career goes remains to be seen – he is already 30 and there are plenty of players who will be knocking on the doors of the team, such is the depth of talent India country at this point.
But you can’t say his call-up wasn’t well-earned.
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