T20 World Cup 2024 | "Expecting him to play three to four big innings": Ashok Aswalkar on Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav against Ireland in New York on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

India's ICC T20 World No.1 batter Suryakumar Yadav's first coach Ashok Aswalkar is confident that his ward will play a few match-winning knocks during the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.

However, Aswalkar, 61, wants Suryakumar (nicknamed SKY) to curb his natural, attacking game for a few balls considering the unpredictable nature of pitches, especially at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, where Rohit Sharma & Co will play Pakistan, USA and Canada on June 9, 12 and 15 respectively.

"Pitches in the USA and in particular, New York are unpredictable. They have uneven bounce. I told Surya to start his innings by taking singles and twos for the first 10 balls and then gradually play his natural game. According to the coach, the explosive batsman's "yes, sir" reply didn't just reflect tokenism, but clear understanding of a likely situation.

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‘Play on the merit of the ball'

"From what I saw on television, that New York pitch was dangerous and batsmen need to show some patience - play on the merit of the ball - to score runs. I am confident Surya will succeed on such pitches too. At the start of his innings, I just want him to middle the ball properly - play in the V, particularly over the bowler's head. And then of course, he knows very well where and how to smash the ball around," Govandi-based Aswalkar told mid-day on Thursday.

Ashok Aswalkar

The world got to know that Suryakumar was coached by Aswalkar when the coach featured in a chocolate commercial during IPL. "It came as a pleasant surprise when Surya told me that I will be a part of an advertisement. I stayed in a five-star hotel for the first time and enjoyed the air travel. I asked Surya what I should wear [for the shoot] and he said, ‘nothing special. You just need to be yourself."

On Wednesday, thanks to pacers Hardik Pandya (3-27), Jasprit Bumrah (2-6), Arshdeep Singh (2-35) followed by Rohit's 52 and Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 36, India started their campaign with a dominating eight-wicket win over Ireland in New York.

When Aswalkar was asked about Suryakumar's dismissal for a four-ball two, playing a slog-sweep off Ireland's leg-spinner Ben White, he said: "The game was almost over when Surya got out; we needed just six runs to win. So it was just a matter of playing a few shots. But I am expecting him to play three to four big innings in this tournament, which will possibly be match-winnings knocks."

‘Real test of batting'

Aswalkar reckoned that quality bowlers will pose challenges in the upcoming games. "Playing on back foot will be the key and Surya possesses that ability. When you play on such pitches, against quality bowlers of Pakistan, Australia and England, there must be more challenges. It will be a real test of batting," he signed off.