'I think he's come from a different planet' - Wasim Akram in awe of India batter Suryakumar Yadav

On Sunday, November 6, Suryakumar Yadav's stunning batting performance against Zimbabwe at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) startled and astounded the entire cricket world. He scored an unbeaten 61 in just 25 balls to help India win their final T20 World Cup Super-12 match by 71 runs and finish on top of the points table with eight points, on their way to the semifinals.

Even Pakistani cricketing legends were in awe of his batting and pondered how to effectively remove him from a T20 contest given his form and skillset. The scoop shot over the fine-leg fence off a full toss delivery down the sixth-stump line was one of Yadav’s most amazing shots throughout his innings at the MCG. It was one of the four sixes that he hit during his time on the field with the bat.

Former Pakistani legendary cricketer Wasim Akram was all praises for Suryakumar Yadav when he saw a replay of that shot. When the shot was shown on A Sports, Akram went on to state that Suryakumar Yadav is from ‘another planet’ as he said:

“I think he's come from a different planet. He is totally different from anybody else. The amount of runs he has scored...he's just a treat to watch and not just against Zimbabwe, against the top bowling attacks in the world.”

What's the best way to get him out in T20s?: Akram

India got a good start in the game against Zimbabwe when KL Rahul smashed a half-century. But post his dismissal, it was all Suryakumar Yadav. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant were dismissed for low scores, but it was Yadav who kept going till the end and racked up 61 runs from just 25 deliveries while remaining unbeaten. His knock got him the player of the match award too.

“What's the best way to get him out in T20s? I mean in ODIs and Tests you can plan and get him out. But in T20, anyway, the bowler is on the back foot and when someone is in this sort of form it is very difficult to bowl at him. I think Pakistan did well against him in the previous game, they bombarded him with short deliveries. Maybe that's the only way to go,” he added.