Suryakumar Yadav

Some Lesser Known Facts About Suryakumar Yadav

• Suryakumar Yadav is an Indian cricketer, who mostly bats in the middle order for the Indian national cricket team. In January 2023, Yadav ranked first in the ICC player rankings for T20 Batsmen in the world. ^[17]NDTV Sports Popular for his 360-degree shots, Suryakumar Yadav hits shots all around the ground, producing uppercuts, inside-out drives, ramps, pulls, scoops, lofts, sweeps, and reverse sweeps in profusion. He is also known for his signature ‘sweep shot’ that he plays against fast bowlers to hit 6s over the deep square leg.

• He grew up in a middle-class family in Hathouda village of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.

  

• Inclined towards cricket from a young age, Suryakumar played gully cricket in the streets of Varanasi in childhood. Later, he started practising cricket at Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium, Sigra, Varanasi, where his paternal uncle Vinod Kumar was his coach.

• When he was 10 years old, Yadav, along with his family, moved to Mumbai, where his father worked as a chief engineer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

  

• Also good at badminton, Suryakumar used to play cricket and badminton with his friends in the streets of Chembur in Mumbai.

• When Yadav’s father came to know about Yadav’s passion towards cricket and badminton, he asked Suryakumar to choose one sport between the two. After Suryakumar decided to go ahead with cricket, his father enrolled him at a cricket camp in the BARC colony in Chembur.

• At the camp, he trained under his cricket coach Ashok Kamat, who was also an employee of his father’s department. Kamat once told Yadav’s father that Suryakumar would alteast reach the Ranji level.

• After training at his colony’s cricket camp for a few months, Yadav joined the Elf Vengsarkar Academy, where he was also trained by the former international cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar.

• In an interview, while describing the favourable circumstances that led Surya to make his career in cricket, his father said,
  

  It helped that the colony had a ground of its own. Besides, stalwarts such as former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar and batsman Lalchand Rajput had ties with the colony and would often visit.”

• At the age of 12, Yadav began playing age-group cricket. Soon, he began playing club cricket for Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club in Mumbai.

• Besides Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club, Yadav has also played for many other cricket clubs in Mumbai including Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Shivaji Park Gymkhana club and Dadar Union club.

• Surya became a part of the Mumbai cricket team in 2010. On 11 February 2010, Yadav made his List A debut for Mumbai against Gujarat at Ahmedabad during the 2010-2011 Ranji Trophy. He played his debut T20 match for Mumbai against Hyderabad at Indore on 13 march 2010. Yadav made his first-class cricket debut for Mumbai against Delhi at Delhi on 15 December 2010. He scored 73 runs off 89 balls in the match.

  

• During the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy, Yadav was the top run scorer of the Mumbai team, scoring 754 runs in 9 matches, including a double century against the Odisha cricket team in the third match of the tournament.

• Subsequently, he scored a century in the Indian List-A Duleep Trophy tournament.

• After noticing his performance in the Ranji trophy, the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) signed up Yadav for the 2012 Indian Premier League. Although Yadav was a part of the team for a match, he hardly got a chance to play for the team as he was overshadowed by cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kieron Pollard. Yadav was released by the team in the next season of IPL.

• He was one of the leading scorers for Mumbai during the 2013-2014 Ranji Trophy. Following his exceptional performance in the tournament, Suryakumar was made the captain of the Mumbai team. However, he was removed from his captaincy by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) during the 2014–15 season of the Ranji Trophy due to disciplinary issues.

• In the 2015 IPL auctions, Yadav was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders. Playing a match-winning innings for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Yadav scored 46 runs off 20 balls and gained instant fame. Soon, he became the vice-captain of the team.

  

• During the 2018 IPL auctions, Yadav was picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 3.2 crores. He gave impressive performances during the season.

  

• In the same year, Yadav was named in India C’s squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy. He also played in the next season of the tournament.

• During the 2018-19 season of the Ranji Trophy, the Mumbai Cricket Association dropped him from the team. The MCA’s selection committee later selected him for the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy.

• He was appointed as the captain of the Mumbai team during the 2020–21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

• In 2021, Yadav played for the Parsi Gymkhana cricket club. In the final match of the Police Shield tournament, he played against Payyade Sports Club at the Police Gymkhana ground in Mumbai, scoring 249 runs.

• Despite performing extremely well at the domestic level, Yadav made his entry in the international cricket very late; he was in his thirties when he played his first international match.

• Suryakumar was named in India’s T20 International squad for India’s series against England in February 2021. Yadav got the chance to bat for India in the fourth match of the series. He hit a six on the very first ball of his international career, becoming the first Indian to achieve the feat in T20 International. Yadav scored a fifty in the match.

• Subsequently, he was named in India’s One Day International squad for India’s ODI series against England.

• Yadav scored his maiden T20 International century in his 19th international innings.

• Yadav scored his second T20I century against New Zealand in November 2022. He scored 111 (not-out) off 51 balls, including 11 fours and 7 sixes and became the second Indian cricketer to hit two centuries in T20 Internationals in a calendar year.

• During the 2022 IPL mega auctions, Mumbai Indians retained him for Rs. 8 crores. However, he was ruled out of the season following an injury in the left forearm.

• In January 2023, yadav was named in India’s T20 International squad for their three-match series against Sri Lanka. During the tournament, he scored a century against Sri Lanka in 45 balls at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, India. Breaking the record of KL Rahul, Yadav registered a record of second fastest century by an Indian batter in T20 Internationals.

  

• In an interview, Suryakumar revealed that he met his wife Devisha for the first time in 2012 at the R.A. Podar College Of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai. He further revealed that Devisha got impressed by Suryakumar’s batting, while, Suryakumar got flattered by Devisha’s dance moves.

• Suryakumar Yadav is a dog lover and has two French bulldogs named Oreo and Pablo. Besides dogs, he is also fond of other animals like horses and birds like parrots.

  

• His first car was a Hyundai i20.

• In an interview, Suryakumar Yadav revealed that he loved watching comedy films. He also shared that he had seen the Hindi film ‘Hera Pheri’ (2000) at least 500 times.

• A fitness enthusiast, Suryakumar prefers doing different types of vigorous exercises than easy workouts.

  

• Since childhood considered Sachin Tendulkar his idol.

• In an interview, Yadav’s paternal uncle revealed that his family came to know about Surya’s passion for cricket when as a child despite being hurt by a ball, Yadav used to ask for a faster ball.

• In an interview, Yadav disclosed that he didn’t like listening to English songs.

• In a media conversation, Suryakumar revealed that if not a cricketer, he would be a pilot.

• Yadav often credits his wife, Devisha, for his success. In an interview, while talking about Devisha, Suryakumar said,
  

  My wife made a lot of sacrifices for the family. She always insisted on keeping my diet and fitness right. Her contribution to my success is stupendous.”

• Suryakumar is a religious person. He is an ardent follower of Lord Ganesha.

• He is the brand ambassador of popular Indian fantasy sports platforms Free Hit and Dream 11.

  

• Yadav has appeared in the TV advertisements of many popular brands like Maxima Watches, Sareen Sports, Neiman’s Shoes, Zebronics, and Noise. He has also endorsed a few brands on his Instagram account like Urbangabru and Pintola.

  

• Suryakumar Yadav is inspired by the South African batter Dewald Brevis. In an interview, Yadav revealed that he was interested in learning the “no-look” shots from Brevis.

• Apparently, there was a time, when Suryakumar Yadav had become a headache for his coaches for his fitness and hothead nature. ^[18]The Mans World

• Praised for his phenomenal ability to play unconventional shots to different parts of the ground, Suryakumar has drawn comparisons to the South Indian cricketer AB de Villiers several times. Describing his multiple shots during a cricket match, Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian cricketer and commentator, said,
  

  Each of those innings was pretty much 360 degrees. He is the new Mr. 360 degree. There was that one shot that he hit for a six just to the left of the wicketkeeper. Then he went a little squarer in the final overs, for example, taking advantage of the angle that the bowler was trying to aim at. Then also the lofted extra cover drive, he has got every shot in the book. There was a straight drive as well.”

  

• In an interview, when Yadav was asked to comment on his Mr. 360 tag, he said,
  

  There is only one 360-degree player in the world, and I will try to play like him.”

• In an interview, when Yadav’s father was asked about his family’s routine when Surya was playing for India, he said,
  

  I will go to office, discharge my duties and then watch the game with my colleagues. My daughter (Dinal) will go to her office too. My wife (Sapna) is very religious. She goes to Siddhivinayak or Mahalaxmi temple and does a puja. She prays for India to win, but normally doesn’t watch the match.”

• Impressed with Surya’s performance in cricket when Surya was still a child, Sachin Tendulkar‘s cricket coach, Ramakant Achrekar, once asked Suryakumar’s father to give Surya to him. His father denied it, saying that he had only one son. However, his father later took Surya to Ramakant Achrekar’s Academy to learn cricket for 10 years, himself driving the car. ^[19]Aaj Tak

• On 18 July 2024, the BCCI named Suryakumar Yadav the T20I captain ahead of a series against Sri Lanka.

• In August 2024, Suryakumar Yadav was selected to play in the Duleep Trophy by the BCCI before the test series with Bangladesh. He was chosen alongside Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Suryakumar Yadav’s sweep shot