India superstar Suryakumar Yadav's scintillating 83 off 44 balls in the third T20I against the West Indies sparked a meme fest on X, formerly Twitter, as netizens enjoyed their day by poking fun at the explosive batter.

 

Suryakumar Yadav, popularly known as SKY, is the top-ranked T2OI batter for a reason. He is widely known for taking the opposition bowlers to the cleaners in the shortest version of cricket.

During his splendid knock against the Caribbean side, Suryakumar Yadav scripted a massive record, becoming the fastest to hit 100 sixes in T20Is. Previously, Rohit Sharma was the quickest Indian to accomplish the feat. India's ODI and Test skipper has 182 maximums in 140 T20I fixtures.

Only three Indian cricketers have touched the milestone in T20Is, with Virat Kohli being the third. The Delhi-born batter's count of sixes stands at 117 in 107 knocks.

In the global pecking order, Suryakumar is only behind West Indian Evin Lewis, who completed his century of sixes in only 42 innings.

With his heroics in Guyana on Tuesday, Suryakumar Yadav matched Chris Gayle to join him as the second-quickest to slam 100 maximums. Both batters took 49 knocks to get to the milestone.

Suryakumar Yadav's knock of 83 was crucial for his confidence, given that he had struggled with the bat for some time as the talismanic batter again showed his 360-degree pedigree to secure the visiting team's first victory against the hosts in the series.

After becoming the first Indian to three golden ducks in a row against Australia in ODIs in March, the swashbuckling batter had a continued run of low scores, leading his critics to raise question marks about his place in India's white-ball teams.

Before his match-winning contribution in the third T20I against the Windies, Suryakumar Yadav failed to impress anyone in the previous two games, registering scores of 1 and 21.

However, the 83-run knock would have done wonders for his confidence, and hopefully, he will be able to reproduce such fireworks in the forthcoming matches.

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav was happy to be back among the runs after multiple low scores for the Men in Blue in both the T20I and ODI formats.

“It was really important to be myself when I went in to bat in the powerplay, that's what the team management also wanted. I have practiced these strokes a lot and I love doing that,” Suryakumar Yadav, who was named the Player of the Match, stated.

Suryakumar Yadav credited his 87-run partnership with the young Tilak Verma for Team India's victory in the third T20I.

“We (himself and Tilak) have batted together for a long time, we both understand how each other bats and the way he batted, it gave me a lot of confidence. It was a great innings from him (Tilak) at the other end,” Suryakumar Yadav observed.

“It was running on the back of my mind (that India had never lost three T20Is in a row) but at the same time we spoke in the team meeting, our captain said someone needs to put their hand up and win the match, glad I was able to do that,” Suryakumar Yadav opined.

Moreover, he also criticized his ODI numbers, accepting that his numbers in the 50-over format were “bad”.

“Because we play a lot more T20Is, we know that we only need to express ourselves as per the situation. But ODIs are a format which we don't play a lot of. And it's a challenging format for me – if you lose early wickets, you have to take your time like in a Test; it is only at the end that you approach it like a T20,” he explained.

“If I am honest with myself, my numbers in ODIs are really bad. And there's no shame in admitting that; everyone knows that already. You need to be honest with yourself; but then, getting better is also important. That is what Rohit [Sharma] and Rahul [Dravid] sir have told me that because I don't play a lot of ODIs, I need to practice and think as to what I can do. I can take my time, and if I happen to be at the crease in the last 10-15 overs, then I need to think for myself as to what I can do for the team,” Suryakumar Yadav mentioned.

“They have told me that all they want me to do is face 45-50 balls in an innings. They have told that I can play my game during my stay at the crease, just that I need to face that many balls if I get to bat in the last 15-18 overs. Now I need to convert that opportunity into responsibility, and bat as per the requirements of the team,” the 32-year-old commented.

“We have seven or eight games before the World Cup, which is enough for preparation,” Suryakumar Yadav concluded. “We also have a camp, where we will all gather. It's important to spend time with each other, and know each other's strengths and weaknesses.”

While there is little doubt that Suryakumar Yadav's stats in ODIs are pathetic, he is one of the biggest threats for any side in T20Is.

That's perhaps why, like many others, former cricketer Aakash Chopra praised Suryakumar Yadav for his explosive batting show against the West Indies.

“Let's first start with the Player of the Match – Suryakumar Yadav. The commentators there chose him and I am also choosing him because it is impossible for anyone else to be here. When Surya shines, everyone looks pale in front of him. He doesn't like vada pav as much as he likes the sweep. He plays amazingly well,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“The 160-run chase was not that easy. It was a used surface, you had lost the toss, and you had to chase. It was a difficult task but Suryakumar Yadav has the ability to make it a one-sided match there and that is why he is the Player of the Match without a doubt,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

“Just to understand, how many Player of the Match awards people have won in T20I matches – Virat Kohli has played 115 matches and he has 15 awards, Rohit Sharma has played 148 matches and has 12 awards, and Suryakumar Yadav has 12 awards in 51 matches. He gets a Player of the Match almost every fourth game,” Aakash Chopra concluded.