T20 World Cup 2022: "We can’t think about India without him" - Kapil Dev heaps praise on Suryakumar Yadav

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev believes Suryakumar Yadav has exceeded everyone's expectations by proving himself to be a world-class player. Dev believes that the right-handed batter has now become the backbone of India's batting unit and is indispensable.

Yadav, who made his international debut in March 2021 on the back of some stellar IPL performances, has been one of the most consistent T20I batters over the last few months. The 32-year-old has slammed a hundred and nine fifties in 35 T20Is at a strike rate of 176.37.

Speaking on the sidelines of a promotional event, the World Cup-winning captain stated that no one thought that Yadav would become the impact player he has, conceding:

"In fact, no one ever thought about Yadav being an impact player in the future, but he did great with his batting and forced the world to talk about him. Now, we can’t think about India without him.

"Having a batter like Suryakumar in the team in the company of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, a team automatically becomes strong."

Leading up to the T20 World Cup, the right-handed batter was one of the most-talked-about players to watch out for.

The three-match T20 series against South Africa preceding the World Cup saw him clinch the Player of the Series award for scoring 119 runs at 59.50 with two fifties.

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Suryakumar Yadav fails, but India sneak home against Pakistan

Virat Kohli stayed unbeaten at 82 off 53 balls. (Image Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, the Mumbai-born batter perished for 15 off 10 deliveries in the high-octane T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan, thanks to a brute of a delivery from speedster Haris Rauf.

However, the Men in Blue overhauled Pakistan's target of 160 on the last ball to win by four wickets.

Virat Kohli's 82 and his partnership with Hardik Pandya worth 113 prevailed over Pakistan's incisive bowling attack. Kohli, for his heroics, also earned the Player of the Match award as India gained two points from their victory.