Virat Kohli told me to express myself and bat like I do: Suryakumar Yadav

Virat Kohli has been there, done that and seen it all, so for him to say that he was ‘completely blown away' by Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 68 against Hong Kong must count for a lot.

Unsteady start for India

It might be tempting to dismiss it as ‘only' against Hong Kong, but let's put things in perspective - India were straggling along at 94 for two in 13 overs when the bustling Mumbaikar strode to the middle. In the next seven overs, 98 runs came at 14 an over with Suryakumar smashing six fours and six sixes to translate Hong Kong's worst fears into chilling reality in the Asia Cup Group A fixture.

"Fearlessness is all about what you are thinking and what energy you bring to the field," Suryakumar pointed out after snapping up the Player of the Match award. "I have been batting in the same way for the last three-four years. We have good backing from the team management, they tell us to go out and express yourself. That gives you the confidence that even in close-to-impossible situations, you can bail the team out," he added.

Also Read: Short of words to describe Surya's innings: India skipper Rohit Sharma

It's this fearlessness that India have been trying to use as their T20 calling card in the last 10 months, often successfully, though in this Asia Cup as opposed to the bilateral exchanges thus far, it has gone somewhat AWOL. Fear not, Suryakumar seemed to say.

In his post-match interaction, Suryakumar, 31, used ‘fun' and ‘enjoyment' numerous times, showcasing the state of his mind and the joy he's deriving from donning the national colours, somewhat belatedly. "The situation was such that I had to bat like that," he said of his amazing ability to switch seamlessly between the orthodox and unconventional. "At the start, the wicket was playing a bit slow, but when I walked out, Virat bhai told me to express myself and bat like I do. My plan was clear. I had a lot of fun," he said.

Kohli overshadowed

It's not often that Kohli has been overshadowed despite making a half-century. On this night, he was a sideshow all the way, and he expressed his appreciation by walking behind Suryakumar at the end of the innings, clapping his partner all the way back. "It was a heart-warming gesture" Suryakumar acknowledged. "I saw him walking behind me. I said, ‘let's go together, I had great fun batting with you'. Conversations with him were meaningful, they were along the likes of what to do these two balls, then what to do the next two balls. I have not played as much T20 cricket as him, it was great to have him at the other end," he added.