"Happy Birthday to the T20 format BRADMAN" - Suryakumar Yadav receives special wishes as he turns 33

Members of the cricketing fraternity and fans extended warm wishes to Indian middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav as he turned 33 on Thursday, September 14. He is currently in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in the Indian team camp, participating in the Asia Cup 2023.

Yadav has not played a single game in the tournament so far and has been warming the bench as incumbent players like KL Rahu and Shreyas Iyer made their much-awaited comebacks after long injury layoffs.

Even though he is the current World number one ranked T20I player, Yadav has struggled to decode the ODI batting recipe. He has played some exceptional knocks in T20I cricket over the past few years against top teams in different conditions.

He got a chance in the ODIs on the back of those performances but is yet to deliver similar performances in the 50-over cricket. Despite his poor ODI record so far, the selectors have persisted with him by selecting him in the 15-man Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup, considering his potential.

On the occasion of his 33rd birthday, members of the cricket fraternity and fans were quick to wish him on social media. Iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar led the way with his post.

Here are some of the other wishes:

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Harbhajan Singh backs Suryakumar Yadav to get a chance in Indian ODI playing XI

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh put his weight behind underfire Suryakumar Yadav in ODI format and termed him as a complete player. He opined that the selectors' decision to give Surya the nod ahead of Sanju Samson in the World Cup squad was the right call due to his proven hitting pedigree over the past few years.

At a press conference organised by Star Sports, Harbhajan told a select group of journalists:

“I feel Suryakumar Yadav is a complete player. I don’t think selectors have been harsh on Sanju Samson. Yes I do feel Sanju is a quality player, but you can only select 15. And I feel picking Suryakumar over Sanju is the right move. Because the game Surya has for the middle overs, Sanju probably doesn’t possess that yet. Surya gives you the reliability and he can make big scores, while Sanju plays high-risk cricket.”

He added:

“Some people will throw Surya’s one-day numbers at me. But what he has done in T20s, and if he comes into bat with those many deliveries left, then I don’t think there’s a better player than him in the whole country. What he can do in that position, even Rohit and Virat cannot.”

Do you agree with Harbhajan Singh's views above? Let us know in the comments section.