1983 World Cup-winning cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth issued a stunning public apology to Suryakumar Yadav after he was left out of India's playing XI against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Guwahati.

“And Surya, I'm so sorry, I feel bad for you my friend. Suryakumar Yadav not there in the team? You look at the top five and ask, who are the impact players there? Who are the guys who can take the game away from the opposition?” former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth said on Star Sports.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth's remarks came after captain Rohit Sharma's decision to not include Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in India's starting XI against Sri Lanka irked many former cricketers and fans.

Surya has been in red-hot form in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is.

In his last knock in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Rajkot, Suryakumar Yadav scored his 3rd T20I ton, breaking multiple world records in the process.

Surya took the Sri Lankan bowling apart in a masterful exhibition of 360-degree batting at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium.

Showing why he’s ranked No.1 in T20I cricket, Suryakumar Yadav, or SKY as he’s fondly called, slammed an unbeaten 112 off 51 balls, including 9 sixes and 7 boundaries to power India to a mammoth total of 228/5.

It was the middle-order batter’s third ton in T20Is in only seven months since he struck his maiden hundred against England in July. With his century against Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav became the first non-opener in the history of T20Is to hit three centuries.

In the process, SKY also became the quickest to complete 1,500 runs in the shortest format of the sport.

In 45 T20Is so far, the 32-year-old cricketer has made 1,578 runs with a highly impressive average of 46.41 and a stunning strike rate of 180.34. During his brief career for India, Suryakumar Yadav has already smashed three centuries and 13 fifties.

However, it must be noted that, unlike his complete dominance in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav hasn't been as successful in ODIs. In 16 matches in the 50-over format so far, the 32-year-old has only scored two half-centuries and has an underwhelming average of 32. His strike rate also isn't that impressive as it barely crosses the 100 mark.

Though Suryakumar Yadav wasn't a part of the eleven Indian men who beat Sri Lanka in Assam, he was still involved in the game.

After the match, SKY got the opportunity to interview the great Virat Kohli after he struck his 45th ODI hundred at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

Their interaction began on a fun note, with Surya reminding the 34-year-old batter that it was the other way around a few days ago when it was Kohli who had interviewed him.

“Asia Cup mein aapne mera interview liya tha. Naye saal mein, merko opportunity mil raha hai aapka interview lene ka. Thank you, jo bhi mujhe ye opportunity diya (You had interviewed me in the Asia Cup and in this new year, I am getting the opportunity to interview you. Thank you to whosoever gave me this opportunity),” Suryakumar Yadav said in the clip.

Suryakumar Yadav then discussed Virat Kohli’s extended lean patch with the bat which lasted nearly three years.

“Runs were flowing from your bat for about 4-5 years then in the last 1-2 years (there was a dip) what did you do during that time that you can again have started to reap the rewards in 2023?” SKY, who wasn’t a part of the side in the first game, asked Virat Kohli.

Responding to Surya, Virat Kohli revealed that frustration had crept into his mind after repeated failures and even his intensity had dropped in practice sessions.

“I said the same thing in the post-match (presentation). Now you’ll also experience the same thing when you play more and more. People will look at you differently. Now when Surya goes out to play, people are thinking ‘Surya will do it'. Keeping up with that is a very intense process. Jab tak aapka cricket accha chal raha hota hai, form accha hota hai, these things flow well. But when there is a dip, in my case, frustration started creeping in because I wanted to play the way I do, I wanted to perform to the expectation but cricket wasn’t allowing me. It was a challenging period. For that reason, I got away from the game plan,” Virat Kohli said.

“My attachments, my desires had totally taken over. That’s when I realised, I can’t be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself. Even when I am vulnerable, I’m not playing well, I’m the worst player around, I have to accept it, I can’t be in denial because then you can get very cranky, and snappy in your space, which is not good at all. It was not fair to anyone around me like Anushka, my close ones. It’s not fair for those who support you all the time to keep seeing you in that space. I had to put things in perspective and put things in order,” Virat Kohli concluded.