Suryakumar Yadav named ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year
Suryakumar Yadav has won the ICC Men's T20I Cricket of the Year award for the second successive year. He was India's backbone and delivered several match-winning contributions. He has become a household figure in this format. Earlier, the ICC named Suryakumar as the captain of the men's T20I Team of the Year on January 22. Suryakumar is currently the top-ranked batter in this format.
Over 700 runs in the format for Suryakumar in 2023
It was a defining year for Suryakumar, who exceeded all expectations by hammering 733 runs in 2023 at 48.86 with a strike rate of 155.95. He smoked two centuries, besides hammering five fifties. He ended the year as India's highest T20I run-getter and overall third in the world. Only UAE's Muhammad Waseem (806) and Uganda's Roger Mukasa (738) managed more T20I runs in 2023.
A unique record at number four or below in T20Is
Suryakumar smashed his 15th score of 50-plus while batting at number four or below in T20Is, the most for a batter. He got to the mark in 39 innings (12 fifties, three tons). Notably, he broke the record of former England skipper Eoin Morgan (14 in 105 innings). Suryakumar now owns 1,527 runs at 49.25 while batting at four or lower (T20Is).
Joint-second-fastest batter to accomplish 2,000 T20I runs
The second T20I against South Africa in December saw Suryakumar become the joint-second-fastest batter to accomplish 2,000 T20I runs. He joined his compatriot Virat Kohli in this regard. The 33-year-old, who made his T20I debut in March 2021, took 56 innings of 59 games to get the mark. Pakistan duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam top this elite list (52 innings apiece).
Here are his overall records
Having played 60 T20Is, Suryakumar owns 2,141 runs at 45.55. SKY has the joint-second-most Player-of-the-Match awards in the shortest format (14). He is the only player to own T20I tons in four different nations - South Africa, England, New Zealand, and India. Suryakumar has an overall strike rate of 171.55 in T20Is, the highest by any batter (Minimum: 1,000 runs).
2022: Suryakumar had scored the most runs
In 2022 calendar year, Suryakumar piled up 1,164 runs from 31 matches at 46.56. He struck at an astonishing 187.43. Notably, he hammered two tons and nine fifties. He smashed the most fours and sixes that year.
Number one ranked player in T20Is
Suryakumar is the number one player in ICC T20I Rankings. He owns 869 rating points and is placed above England's Phil Salt (802). Yashasvi Jaiswal is the only other Indian player inside the number 10. Suryakumar will be pivotal for India in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. His presence will be a huge lift for everyone in the side.
