How Suryakumar Yadav dazzled in middle overs in 2022 (T20s)
Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav rose to prominence in white-ball cricket in 2022. He was a cut above the rest in the shortest format, having scored a plethora of runs. SKY finished 2022 as the only batter with over 1,000 T20I runs. He outclassed others when it came to scoring runs in the middle overs (7-16). Here are his stats in this regard.
Why does this story matter?
Suryakumar and his stroke-making grabbed eyeballs in 2022. He finished with 1,164 runs, having struck at a staggering 187.43. In Mount Maunganui, Suryakumar smashed his 2nd T20I century (51-ball 111*), thereby becoming the second Indian after Rohit Sharma (2018) to slam two T20I tons in a calendar year. SKY achieved all this as he went for the kill in the middle overs.
Most T20 runs in middle overs in 2022
Suryakumar finished as the highest run-scorer in the middle overs in 2022 (T20s). He slammed 933 runs at an average of 49.10 in this phase. The Indian middle-order batter struck at a staggering 165.13 in this regard. The tally includes 81 fours and 46 sixes. South Africa's Rilee Rossouw is SKY's closest rival in terms of runs (875 in middle overs).
SKY struck at 178.41 in internationals
SKY was even more lethal in T20 Internationals. He topped the run chart as far as middle overs are concerned. He slammed 719 runs at an average of 51.35 in this phase, while his strike rate improved to 178.41. As many as 38 of his 46 sixes came in internationals. Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza follows SKY in terms of runs in middle overs (540).
SKY's numbers (middle overs, T20Is): Pace vs spin
SKY averaged 64.80 against spinners in the middle overs in 2022 (T20Is). He was dismissed five times in the process. Suryakumar maintained a strike rate of 159.60 and slammed 13 sixes. His strike rate improved to 197.50 against pacers in this phase. He took the seamers to cleaners 25 times in this regard. However, his average was down to 43.88.
India's own 360-degree batter!
All these mind-numbing numbers notwithstanding, Suryakumar's art of playing the field stands out. He has all the strokes one can find in the books, rather he manufactures his esoteric versions. SKY and his stroke-making certainly transcend the batting limitations, the way legend AB de Villiers did. 2022 saw the rise of India's 360-degree batter, whose impact strikes harder!
