India and Mumbai Indians T20 maverick, Suryakumar Yadav, celebrates his birthday on Sunday, September 14. The extraordinary right-hander, who continues to amaze cricket fans with his unabashed approach and dominant streak in the middle, turns 35. Suryakumar Yadav will be leading India’s T20I side against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Group A tussle of the Asia Cup 2025 on what will be a special occasion for the experienced Mumbaikar and the protagonist of one of Indian cricket’s most inspiring tales.
A late-bloomer, Suryakumar Yadav didn’t get a chance to play for India until the age of 30 despite piling on the runs for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. After stuttering along as an inconsistent striker for Kolkata Knight Riders until 2017, Suryakumar Yadav came into his own with IPL 2018 under MI’s wings, showing an expanded range against quality fast-bowling and a variety of spinners.
In his breakthrough season, the exceptional right-hander Suryakumar Yadav blasted 512 runs in 14 innings and turned his career around in an influential three-year phase where he became an integral part of MI’s winning juggernaut and finally earned a maiden call-up at the international stage with the five-T20I series against England in March 2021.
Overcoming doubts about his age and skill, Suryakumar Yadav’s arrival on the international scene ushered in a new era of Indian T20 batting as he transformed the approach commonly seen with Indian players in the middle and inspired the rest to attack.
Playing a highly aggressive brand of cricket from the word go, Suryakumar Yadav accessed all sides of the ground and earned the tag of ‘Mr 360 degree’ from commentators and experts.
He stands today as a picture of excellence in the shortest format, having struck 4,311 runs in IPL at a strike rate of 148.66 and over 2,500 runs in T20Is at an even more extravagant scoring rate of 167.07. Ahead of the crucial clash vs Pakistan , Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praises on the Indian skipper and also has chosen him as a key player vs Pakistan.
Sunil Gavaskar picks Suryakumar Yadav as key player
With the high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan just a night away, former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has picked the Indian skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, as the key to India’s success in the upcoming encounter.The Men In Blue will be up against their neighbours, Pakistan, on Sunday, Sept. 14, in a much-anticipated clash at the Asia Cup 2025.
In a recent interview with Sports Today, Gavaskar picked Suryakumar Yadav as India’s ace in the pack for the big clash against Pakistan. Gavaskar mentioned Surya as the key while also weighing in on Surya the bowler.
The Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav bowled a couple of overs of off-spin in a T20I series against Sri Lanka. He even helped his side tie a match against the Lankans, defending 7 runs in the final over. India eventually won the game in the Super Over.
“I think the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, because not only as a batter, he has bowled the odd over as well, being the surprise package, picking up the wicket as we saw in Sri Lanka. But I think his overall captaincy that is going to be the ace in the pack as far as India is concerned,” said Gavaskar
The Mumbaikar has been India’s go-to man, especially in the shortest format. Batting at No.3, Suryakumar Yadav has scored a lot of runs with a very positive intent, helping India’s cause in crunch situations. He is also one of the most fearsome T20I batters in the world right now.
Gavaskar has cautioned the World Champions, India, to make full use of the powerplay in both innings. The Indian legend feels that the side that wins the first six-over battle will eventually go on to win the game.
“The one scenario is in the first six overs. The Powerplay. Always, in any T20 format, the Powerplay is so decisive, more than anything else. Yes, there are the last four overs that can change the game as well, but the powerplay, if the team wins the powerplay, if a team wins both the powerplays, the batting powerplay and the fielding powerplay, then they are more likely to go on to win. India will have to watch out for that,” added the little master.
Both India and Pakistan are coming off dominating victories in their opening encounters. The Men In Blue defeated the UAE by 9 wickets and 93 balls to spare, while the latter defeated Oman by a big margin of 93 runs.
As the two sides lock horns on Sunday, India will definitely start as favourites. India is the reigning World Champions and the number 1 T20I side in the World, while Pakistan is undergoing a transitional phase. However, the nature of the shortest format is such that anything can happen on any given day, and the side that presents itself better and handles pressure goes on to win the game.
Also Read:Â Asia Cup 2025: Kuldeep Yadav & Co Bamboozle UAE