Suryakumar Yadav; SKY is the limit for India’s new OG

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about Team India? Virat, Rohit, MSD or someone with a larger-than-life stature. But, the question is, with all these superstars in the team, why we have been struggling to win an ICC trophy post-2013?

Where do we go wrong, time and again? 

Let’s have a mini-recap of all the significant happenings in these events. The top order gets knocked over by a left-arm bowler, the middle order fails to handle the pressure, and there you go, Team India gets knocked out even after being the favourites. Yet, the same old story has ached the hearts of millions in a land where cricketing stars are next to Gods.

Last time when an Indian middle order batter walked out with a swagger about himself, with an aura that could scare the opposition captain – it was Yuvraj Singh. But, once India’s ICC star man went missing, the trophies also started to elude India; even though India did manage to win ICC Champions Trophy back in 2013, but post that, it has been a story of broken dreams and broken hearts.

Yuvi was back in the mix for the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup, but as they say, ‘You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.’ 

On the night of the final in the 2014 T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka, this is precisely what happened to India’s wounded warrior, who once put his life on the line to help India break its ICC World Cup drought. Unfortunately, a few extra dot balls on the night cost him his place in the team, and somewhere down the line, it affected his stature in the history of Indian cricket. 

It was as if an innings cost him everything he had fought for since he was a young bloke. 

Yuvi wasn’t the only one who was axed halfway down the road; India’s left-handed magician, Raina, was at the peak of his powers when he lost his place in the team for no real reason. But wasn’t it the trio of Yuvi, Raina and Dhoni that bailed out India time and again? So, how could we let it happen to them? I guess we kept our focus on making gods out of stars and forgot those who made these stars shine.

Once they were gone, the hunt for a new middle order core began? Unfortunately, there is uncertainty around it to date. Dhoni kept fighting as a lone wolf, but without his pack (Yuvi and Raina), it took a toll on him. Remember the 2019 WC semi-final against New Zealand, Dhoni gave it his all, but it wasn’t to be. What if the pack was with him? But that’s just a fantasy. Even MSD is a story of the past now.

For once, it felt as if we had an answer to all the middle order crises; it seemed as if the man was here. But, we were wrong; the BCCI backed Rayudu till midnight of 2019, but when the time came even he was axed.

Team India’s new OG

After trying out ‘x’ number of players, we still didn’t have an answer to the nightmare situation that has haunted Indian at ICC events. 

But, this was a story of the past; in walked a man with nerves of steel and a fearless approach to his game. But, with age not on his side, there were doubts if he could be the answer to the prayers of the Indian fans.

There is a man named SKY (Suryakumar Yadav); when he walks out to the middle, there is an aura about him that says, ‘Calm down, I am here.’ Something about him tells me that this is the man who could seal the deal for India in the upcoming ICC events.

Over the past few years, his heroics earned him a place in the 2021 ICC T20 WC squad of India that was hammered out of the tournament in the group stage. He was a part of the squad, but he wasn’t trusted to do the job; he was in and out of the team, which surely didn’t help the cause.

It is time SKY gets the trust of his team and the people of this nation. We need a new hero amongst all the Godly figures who have failed to bring glory to this nation of ours.

The manner in which he batted for a struggling Mumbai Indians team suggests that he is the answer to that age-old problem of ours where the top order is brought to the knees, and the middle order is left wondering.

This time around, the climax might be a touch different, with a man walking out to the middle with a swagger about himself and taking India home when the going gets tough. 

It is not his stats that make him special; his approach and attitude suggest it’s time India backs its new OG, SKY. The man who will be responsible for helping out the nation when the Godly figures fail and need a human with the qualities of the Hercules to step up and deliver.

For those who are still not convinced about him being the man for the job, don’t you remember a mid-aged debutant walking out to the middle against a deadly speedster in Jofra Archer and smoking him for a six off the first ball. 

Let it be, don’t you remember the death stare he gave to Virat Kohli in an IPL encounter. Well, I don’t think there is another cricketer in the nation who could stare at Virat without blinking twice. So right at that moment, we knew this man is not here just to be a part of the crowd; he is here to stand out and can there be a better way to stand out than winning the World Cup for your nation?