First cap, lessons, criticism, redemption: T20WC winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav's Ahmedabad story

Grinding out in his 20s in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) and domestic cricket for Mumbai, Suryakumar struggled to make it to Team India, watching many of his peers get a national cap. Despite a purple patch in the IPL from 2018-2020, which saw him score 400-500 runs consistently, India's very own 'Mr 360' struggled to catch selectors' attention. But when he finally did at the age of 30, his next five years saw him live out a decade worthy of career highs and lows, making him one of the most intriguing figures of Indian cricket.

It was at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium that he and Ishan Kishan earned their debut caps in the T20I series against England back in March 2021. While Kishan secured the 'Player of the Match' in the match, while Surya did not get to bat, it was the third T20I at the same venue where he started with a bang, smashing a fiery Jofra Archer for a six over the fine leg, pulling with a one leg up in the air. It was the start of Surya's 'video game' batting, as Virat Kohli quoted in one of his Instagram stories. He would go on to have multiple memorable partnerships with the Indian icon. Surya took home the 'Player of the Match' award for a 31-ball 57, laced with six fours and three sixes.

Ahmedabad was also the same ground where on February 2022, Suryakumar would go on to have his first-ever ODI fifty as well, a calculated 83-ball 64, with five fours that took India to 237/9 in 20 overs, which the Men in Blue defended successfully. Till then, Surya was looking like a promising ODI prospect as well. But due to perhaps a lack of temperament, role clarity, or just his high-risk style, Surya's ODI fortunes took a massive dip.

While selectors persisted with SKY despite his dipping ODI numbers, it was against Australia at this same Narendra Modi Stadium during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final, which was the last straw that put a halt to his ODI career. For 28 balls, he struggled to produce his counter-attacking, T20I style of batting on a sluggish pitch in death overs, scoring a meagre 18 runs marked by helpless, embarrassing attempts to slog, sweep and ramp towards something big. India lost the final, and Surya also lost his place in the ODI set-up. Once known as India's equivalent of South African icon AB De Villiers, he was one of the country's favourite punching bags, getting criticism for his ODI numbers and lack of big-match performances. His lack of game awareness, such as giving a strike to tailender Kuldeep Yadav, also got scrutinised.

During the ongoing T20 World Cup, Ahmedabad served another lesson to Surya and his men. Their winning run in the T20 World Cup came to a screeching halt after they fell 76 runs short while chasing 188 against South Africa. Team India's struggles against spin and pace-off deliveries were clearly exposed by this point. Being the home team did not equate to being the immortals. The skipper could not make a mark in the match, scoring a 22-ball 18. Suddenly, the tournament favourites were in survival mode, needing to win their remaining two matches and make sure other results also went their way.

From then on, Team India initiated a course correction, improving their numbers against pace-off deliveries and introducing Sanju Samson at the top to break a leftie-dominant top three, which was being troubled by spin. In the final, while Suryakumar could only get a golden duck, a larger goal was accomplished as Team India brutalised New Zealand, with fifties from Samson, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma and a four-fer from Jasprit Bumrah. Suryakumar Yadav, now at 35 years of age, got the T20 World Cup as a captain on a field where he was served his national cap, but also some of the harshest lessons that come with the burden of being an international cricketer. (ANI)