Year Ender: Decoding Suryakumar Yadav's breathtaking T20I numbers in 2023
Suryakumar Yadav enjoyed a stellar run in T20Is in 2023. While he clobbered over 1,000 runs in the format last year, he will finish 2023 as the highest run-getter among full-member team batters. Notably, SKY also made his T20I captaincy debut this year and led the Men in Blue to series victories over Australia and South Africa. Let's decode his T20I stats in 2023.
Over 700 runs in the format
It was a defining year for SKY, who exceeded all expectations by hammering 733 runs in 2023 at 48.86 with a strike rate of 155.95. SKY 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.
Do you know?
SKY is among the two batters with a 48-plus average and a 150-plus strike rate in T20Is this year (Minimum: 500 runs). He played 18 games in 2023. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe is the only other player with this feat as his tally reads 515 runs at 51.5 with his strike rate being 150.14.
A fiery 112* vs Sri Lanka
Suryakumar's first century of 2023 came against Sri Lanka in Rajkot in January. He blasted a 51-ball 112* (4s: 7, 6s: 9), helping India compile 228/5 in 20 overs. As per Kausthub Gudipati, SKY became the first non-opener to clock three T20I tons. SKY recorded his fastest T20I hundred (45 balls), while it was the second fastest century by an Indian in the format.
A fine hundred in Johannesburg
SKY shattered numerous records with a stunning ton against South Africa in the third and final T20I in Johannesburg. He tormented the Proteas bowlers and scored 100 off 56 balls (7 fours, 8 sixes). Suryakumar now owns four T20I tons. He went level with Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell in terms of most T20I tons in men's cricket (4).
Suryakumar displaced Eoin Morgan with this record
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). SKY now owns 1,527 runs at 49.25 while batting at four or lower (T20Is).
Here are his overall records
Having played 60 T20Is, Suryakumar has raced to 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).
Joint-second-fastest batter to accomplish 2,000 T20I runs
The second T20I against South Africa saw SKY 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, having taken 52 innings apiece.
