Why did Suryakumar Yadav’s six off Daniel Sams get Ravi Shastri’s praise as the match’s best shot?
Why did Suryakumar Yadav’s six off Daniel Sams get Ravi Shastri’s praise as the match’s best shot? “Shot of the match bhai!”
When Suryakumar Yadav sprinted down the track to quick Daniel Sams and hit a back-of-a-length ball on the up and over long-off, Ravi Shastri cooed, except he is his way, pronounced bhai as a bye.
This reminded me of when Sachin Tendulkar sashayed down the pitch and smashed Glen McGrath for a six and a four off of somewhat similar balls to the long-off boundary in their legendary clash 22 years ago Nairobi.
Though he hammered a short-of-length ball from Chris Tremlett over long-on, Sachin Tendulkar was doing it three days ago, too, at the Road Safety World Series.
Match
Another matter entirely is the far future. Even if Sams isn’t as good as McGrath, the ball was a little tougher. Even when Surya sped off down the track, it was slightly longer in the rear and rose marginally higher.
Moreover, Tendulkar’s technique was slightly more refined when he hit a six against McGrath (one flew for a six, and the other blurred across for a four).
To better control and smash the rising ball, he would get his bat a little more horizontal while he was down on the pitch. Like a forehand down the line, if you will.
SRT
For today at least, Surya hadn’t been batting with the bat slanted in the SRT direction. His approach was more typical, with a bat swing similar to the one used against a larger pitch.
If you take such a shot at a somewhat short ball, you risk gaining more elevation than distance and holing out to deep mid-on. But somehow, he controlled it to gain the distance as well; possibly, Shastri was singing on air.
The McGrath ball hadn’t bounced as much as Sams’s had, which was another distinction from the Tendulkar six in Nairobi.
While Tendulkar made solid touch with the four, which continued to rise as he swung, the six made contact with the toe of his bat.
Surya’s is calmer and involves precise alignment of the body; he did move down but did not progress as far as the marauding Tendulkar. Tendulkar’s was more exciting since he had danced down the track.
Surya can maintain his form while racing at full speed. Sachin possessed it, and his equilibrium was typically quite superb, but Surya may be just as brilliant on his day.
Statement
He relies heavily on the “shape-holding” tactics of T20 batting, which are based on careful calculation. Keep your form, expand your upper body and arms to their fullest, and work to keep your balance right up until you’re about to fall over. It usually boils down to where he stands in the frame.
Second, he is extremely able to maintain his form even when his hands go the full distance as he stays with the shot to finish it. If he does it while in his stance, that’s one thing, but if he marches down the field to a pacemaker, that’s quite different.
The risk in this six off Sams was as indicated, skying it straight up but nevertheless, he kept the high elbow solid and hammered it with the regular downward bat movement.
Later, even Virat Kohli admitted that he was stunned by Surya’s batting. “Absolute clarity in what he wants to do. He has the game to bat in any sort of situation and any condition.
He has proved that already. He got a hundred in England; he batted wonderfully in the Asia Cup. Here, he’s striking the ball as well as I have seen him strike.
Facts
For the past 6 months, he’s been fantastic. The variety of shots and playing those shots at the proper time is such a fantastic skill. He is an expert in his field. Observing his shoots, I realized he has a natural talent for timing.
Vikram Rathour, the batting coach, was a very good domestic player but was never able to break through to the international level. Once, he caressed a six off Shaun Pollock that had even the non-striking Tendulkar turn to stare in awe at the ball’s trajectory.
To clear long-on off a short-of-length delivery, Rathour leaned forward slightly and floated his bat on the rise and through the line. It was one of his most impressive blows ever against a pacer. Surya accomplished this by advancing down the field and hitting a long ball over long-off.
I’m sure you’re wondering why we prefer long-on versus short-on. Just look at Tendulkar’s six against Tremlett the other day.
If the batsman isn’t ready for the ball and it bounces up from short of length, he can bend his wrist and ride the bounce to hit it past the line, much like a tennis player hitting a forehand crosscourt. However, if he tries to take the ball over far off and hit it down the line of outside off, he will have a hard time riding the bounce.
To hit the ball over the head, rather than slamming it down and up as Surya did, Tendulkar would cleverly slant his bat a touch more horizontally. Suryakumar Yadav, however, somehow unfurled the shot, which resulted in Shastri worrying his bhai.
Read More: Excellent Response from Suryakumar Yadav to Murali Kartik’s “1-0 Down” Query