• Source:ANI
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Swashbuckling batter Suryakumar Yadav was at his absolute best on Tuesday as he scored a 44-ball 83 to guide India to a successful run-chase in the 3rd T20I at the Providence Stadium. The 32-year-old, who was struggling to get runs in ODI series, had no qualms in admitting his 'below-par' numbers in the format.

"To be very honest, my one-day numbers are absolutely bad and there's no shame in admitting that," Suryakumar said after his match-winning knock in a press conference.

"We all talk about honesty and you have to be, but how you can improve is more important. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) sir have told me that this is the format that I do not play much so you have to play it more and think about it. If you are batting in the last 10-15 overs, think about what you can do for the team. It is in my hand now how to change the responsibility into an opportunity," Suryakumar added.

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Suryakumar's high-risk, 360-degree batting has won him a lot of acclaim and success in T20Is. In 51 T20Is and 49 innings, he has scored 1,780 runs at an average of 45.64 and a strike rate of 174.33. He has scored three centuries and 14 fifties in the format. He won the 'ICC T20I Player of the Year' award in 2022 for his performances and is also the number 1 batter worldwide in this format.

But for Suryakumar, 'SKY' has not been the limit in ODIs. In 26 ODIs and 24 innings, he has managed just 511 runs at an average of 24.33, with two half-centuries.

The batter admitted that he feels more used to the T20I style of batting due to the fact that Men in Blue play this format a lot more in comparison to ODIs and he finds the 50-over format as challenging.

"We have been playing T20 format so much that I have gotten used to it. One-day is a format that I do not play much and I find it as the most challenging format. You have to bat differently - if a wicket falls early, you have to bat a little like in Test cricket, then in between you try to accelerate ball by ball and towards the end, you have to bring in the T20 approach. So I have been trying to apply what the team management has told me so far about the format. I try to take some time in ODI as per the time and then play my game towards the end. I will try to repay the faith," he said.

About his knock, he said that he did not do anything different, just batting like he has been for the last two years for India.

Also Read: IND vs WI 3rd T20 Highlights

"This was the same day as these last two years. I went out and expressed myself. Everything kept falling in place with the way I batted," said Suryakumar.

 

Inputs from ANI