Suryakumar Yadav's redemption story gets a new chapter ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup

For a while in 2020, we had all questioned the index of making the Indian cricket team. The one and only index should be performance. However, in the case of Suryakumar Yadav there was reason to be believe justice wasn’t served. Surya performed superbly in the IPL. He did so consistently and also did well in domestic cricket in the 2019-2020 season.

He is a gun fielder to go with his batting and importantly, as former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta pointed out, “Surya is versatile in the sense he can also bat at number 5 and has finished games in the past. That should also have been considered.”

To his credit, Surya Kumar Yadav is comfortable against both pace and spin. He has batted with equal aplomb in the powerplay for the Mumbai Indians and once the field restrictions are over, he is adept at maneuvering the ball and taking the innings deep.

I remember speaking to Surya when he wasn’t getting picked. My questions were clear- How does a player who is perhaps expecting a national call-up take a disappointment like this? What impact can it have on his mental equilibrium? Could Surya overcome his selection blues? That’s what is the hallmark of a true champion and I have reason to believe Surya has done just that.

Suryakumar Yadav's chance to stand out in 2022

With every opportunity he gets with the bat now for India, he is treating it as a chance to remind the selectors of his value. To cement his place in the team and serve the country. With another World Cup just 6 months away, Surya will have one more opportunity in the near future to redeem the disappointment of the World T20 in Dubai.

He had a stiff neck ahead of India’s second game and missed out on playing NZ, a game India lost and bowed out of the competition. Now, as he finishes games for India, it is evident to one and all that not all is lost for him. If the door to the national side wasn’t opening on its own, he needed to push it open. If the door to a good world cup doesn’t open naturally, Surya now knows what to do.

What was excellent to see at Eden Gardens was his temperament and maturity. With Rishabh Pant out cheaply, India was under pressure going into the home stretch.

Surya had the young Venkatesh Iyer for company and another wicket then could have opened the game for the West Indies. Surya did two things superbly - first he did not let the asking rate go up at any point. Second, he played the big shots to perfection. It eased the pressure on Iyer and in no time India were within touching distance. It was an excellent finish and must have given Surya and the think tank a lot of confidence. It is now time for him to build on all of it and go on to have a standout 2022. Late yes, but certainly not never.