Suryakumar Yadav is the new Mr 360, without him India will struggle to get 140-150: Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Suryakumar Yadav has developed into the new Mr 360 grade and India will struggle to put enough runs on the board if he can’t fire, says batsman Sunil Gavaskar.
Suryakumar, the world’s number one T20 batsman at the moment, dazzled in his girlfriend T20 World Cupbrilliant innings in the Super 12 phase to help India reach the semi-finals of the marquee event.
Against Zimbabwe he smashed an unbeaten 61 off 25 and sent the ball to every corner of the field.
“Every one of those innings was about 360 degrees. He’s the new Mr. 360 degrees. There was that one shot he hit for a six just to the left of the wicketkeeper. Then he went a bit squarer in the last overs , for example to take advantage of the angle the bowler was trying to aim for.

Suryakumar Yadav (AP Photo)
“Then also the elevated extra cover drive, he got every chance in the book. There was a straight drive as well,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on India Today.
The former Indian captain believes Suryakumar is the reason India managed to score totals they could defend.
“He actually seems to be the player who takes India to totals you can defend. The score India got was the highest T20I score at the MCG. Without his 61 not out, India wouldn’t have even reached 150 ,” he declared.

The under-fire Rahul returned to form with back-to-back half-centuries in India’s last two matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Gavaskar said if Suryakumar fails, Rahul will have to take charge.
“I think right now there are two batsmen who are in top form, Kohli and Suryakumar. It was also good to see KL Rahul get another half-century but he should look to get more than that for a simple reason .

“If Surya doesn’t fire, India will struggle to get 140-150. So it’s very important for Rahul to keep going,” Gavaskar added.
‘LET’S HOPE ROHIT BRINGS THE RUNS FOR THE NEXT TWO MATCHES’
Skipper Rohit Sharma is having an underwhelming World Cup by his standards. The opener scored just 89 runs in five matches, with his only notable knock being 53 against the Netherlands.

Rohit Sharma (AP Photo)
“Well, let’s just hope he saves the runs for the next two games. They’re going to be the biggest games. In a group game, you know there’s another game to come, so maybe you try a little too hard sometimes and get out.
“Now, these are knock-out games. In a knock-out game, you can’t afford to experiment too much. You have to be at your best. Let’s hope Rohit comes good,” Gavaskar said.
Rohit could not provide India with solid starts and the highlight, which is his trademark shot, was his undoing in Australia.
“What happened is that he himself, as the captain of the team, set this template in the first 6 overs to bang, bang and bang.
“Suddenly he can’t be seen working the ball. He’s always a good puller. But on Australian boundaries, that pull shot got him into trouble.
“We saw that he also got out twice two years ago playing the pull after scoring 40-50 runs (in Tests). This got him into trouble again.
“In a T20 format with only one fielder in the first 6 overs, he has to be mindful of the fielder and play the pull. It’s a productive shot for him, let’s not forget that,” Gavaskar added.