“Two shots are very important for him” - Indian legend lauds unconventional Suryakumar Yadav ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 match

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has lauded skipper Suryakumar Yadav for his unorthodox game ahead of the high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on Sunday, September 14. The legendary spinner credited the 34-year-old for his two specific shots – the Supla shot (sweep shot behind the wicket) and the other one over the extra cover.

The 38-year-old shared the technical genius of the Mumbai batter behind acing these two shots.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Saturday (September 13), Ashwin said:

“In an analytical piece, I saw his two shots, which are very critical. One is a supla shot, the other one is over the extra cover. There is a difference between bat speed and impact speed. Usually, it’s the same for batters playing on the front. Why is there a 10km gap? It’s because Suryakumar Yadav’s most important thing is timing… In this case, Surya allows it, takes it near himself, reduces the bat speed to time the ball perfectly…" "The same Surya, when he hits an extra cover drive, will change the bat angle to a different angle, which is 20 degrees. These two shots are very important for him, and because he’s using timing really well, he’s a player who is able to create a lot of trouble for the bowlers,” he added.

Notably, Suryakumar Yadav is known for troubling the bowlers with his unconventional game. He smashed a first-ball six against Oman to set his intentions clear at the Asia Cup 2025. The right-handed batter finished with an unbeaten seven runs off two balls as India won the match by nine wickets with 15.3 overs to spare.

In T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has 2605 runs in 80 innings at a strike rate of 167.30, comprising four tons and 21 half-centuries. He is currently ranked No. 6 among batters in the latest T20I rankings.

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“In T20, four good overs is a bowler winning you a competition” – R Ashwin picks key India pacer in the playing XI against Pakistan at Asia Cup 2025

R Ashwin further believes that India should play a quality bowler in Arshdeep Singh as their third seamer over all-rounder Shivam Dube, who is a part-time seamer. The reaction came even as the medium pacer bagged three wickets in his two overs against Oman in the Asia Cup 2025 fixture.

Ashwin said in the same video:

“Arshdeep Singh has displayed his batting credentials several times. He can hit one or two sixes if you remember that India-Pakistan game in New York, he contributed a bit (with the bat) in that." "If someone has the talent, there should be an effort to take him a bit further. It should be that you don’t know batting, and Shivam Dube will play as a batter, and he’ll bowl because in T20, four good overs is a bowler winning you a competition,” he added.

Notably, Arshdeep Singh warmed the bench against Oman in the opening game for the Men in Blue at the Asia Cup 2025. With 99 scalps in 63 matches, he's India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is.

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Edited by James Kuanal