India head coach Rahul Dravid accused Suryakumar Yadav of not watching him bat while growing up after the latter left the cricket world awestruck with his swashbuckling knock against Sri Lanka this weekend.

Widely regarded as the best T20I batter in the world, Suryakumar Yadav was in full flow on Saturday, as he went on a rampage against the Dasun Shanaka-led side, eventually producing one of the greatest knocks in T20Is.

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.

Unlike Surya, current head coach Rahul Dravid had a contrasting batting style when he was a key member of the Indian team for 16 years from 1996 to 2012.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday, Rahul Dravid could be seen interviewing Suryakumar Yadav after his stunning century.

During their conversation, Rahul Dravid tried to pull his leg by alleging that Suryakumar Yadav had never seen him bat. With his statement, the India coach was highlighting the fact that, unlike the Mumbai-born batter who is known for his explosive batting, he was quite a defensive player.

โ€œI have someone here with me, who I am sure, as a young kid, didn't watch me bat. And I hope you did. Surya, exceptional. Just the form you have been in. Every time, I think I haven't seen a better T20 innings, you show us something even better,โ€ Rahul Dravid said at the beginning of the clip, which subsequently went viral on Twitter.

In reply to the former batting stalwart's remark, SKY said: โ€œI didโ€, before Rahul Dravid responded: โ€œI hope you didn't, I am sure you didn'tโ€.

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Coming back to SKY, it was the middle-order batter's third ton in T20Is in 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 hundreds.

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.

Thanks to Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue ended up winning the contest by 91 as the Sri Lankans were bowled out for just 137. With their comprehensive victory in Gujarat, India notched up their 12th consecutive T20I series triumph at 12.

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The 32-year-old's latest heroics against Sri Lanka left the cricket fraternity mesmerized with plaudits coming his way from all corners of the world.

Among the latest to join his admiration club are former India coach Sanjay Bangar and ex-Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria.

โ€œIf you want to do Surya Namaskar, there are 12 steps. If you divide the 360-degree cricket field by 12, he gives his taste to every area. Whether it is fine leg, cover or the point region, he plays amazing shots in all directions,โ€ Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports.

โ€œHe gives pleasure and gives every Indian a sense of pride that such a fantastic player is in the Indian camp because he is a once-in-a-generation player, especially in this format,โ€ he added.

โ€œThe new Universe Boss is Suryakumar Yadav-the beast. Now what can I tell about this lad, even before I have said that a player like Suryakumar comes once in a lifetime. The innings which he played today, scoring 112 off 51, no one can replicate that. You can speak about ABD, Chris Gayle but even these two look pale in front of Surya. He has already eclipsed them and has taken T20 cricket to a whole new level,โ€ Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, Surya explained what goes through his mind when he approaches his knock in T20I cricket.

โ€œIt is really important to put pressure on yourself when you are preparing for the game. The more pressure you put, the better you can play. There is a lot of hard work involved. Some quality practice sessions are also involved,โ€ Suryakumar Yadav said after his sensational ton.

โ€œI'm really happy with the way the innings went. The captain winning the toss and batting first showed faith in the batters, few shots are pre-determined, but these are the shots I've been playing over the last year and I'm not doing anything different,โ€ Suryakumar Yadav noted.