"He has to hit one shot, and then the bowler goes off plan" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav's knock in AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Suryakumar Yadav for virtually toying with the bowlers in the first T20I against Australia. He noted that the Indian captain's one unorthodox shot forces the bowlers to alter their plans and fall into his trap.

The first T20I between India and Australia in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29, didn't yield a result. Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 39 off 24 deliveries before rain stopped play when the visitors were 97/1 after 9.4 overs.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Chopra was asked about Suryakumar scoring the majority of his runs between midwicket and fine leg.

"When the runs come in that area, the story becomes easy. To be fair, the kind of pitch this was or the Australian pitches will be, this shot becomes more productive. He has to hit one shot, and then the bowler goes off plan, that where should he bowl next, that he has to do something else, and then you walk into a trap where Suryakumar Yadav hits you a lot," he responded.

While observing that the Indian captain has unique skills, Chopra praised him for being consistent while playing unorthodox shots.

"The expectation is that this is just the start. The power he generates while taking the bat upwards from below is a rare skill. He has an incredible quality. You are praiseworthy if you can consistently score runs despite playing risky shots, and that's why he has reigned in the T20 format for a long time," Chopra noted.

Suryakumar Yadav struck three fours and two sixes during his unbeaten 39-run knock. He struck Josh Hazlewood for a six off the fourth ball he faced before hitting Nathan Ellis for a maximum off the penultimate ball of the game.

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"You are a batter first and a captain later" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav returning to run-scoring ways in AUS vs IND 2025 1st T20I

Suryakumar Yadav has endured a lean run in T20Is this year. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Aakash Chopra was asked about the importance of Suryakumar Yadav's knock, considering his underwhelming performances in T20Is this year.

"He needed to score runs. You are the captain of a winning team and you have a lot of experience and pedigree as well, so there weren't any question marks as such, but there are murmurs at times. When you go to the ground with a bat in hand, you are a batter first and a captain later," he replied.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Wednesday's knock would hold Suryakumar in good stead as a captain.

"He has the unique skill of forcing the bowlers to bowl where he wants. However, scoring runs was imperative because when a captain scores runs, his decision-making ability remains at the top. Then you don't think about anything else and can do things instinctively. It was important for the captain to be seen in his Surya avatar," Chopra observed.

Suryakumar Yadav joined Shubman Gill in the middle at the fall of Abhishek Sharma's (19 off 14) wicket. The duo stitched together an unbroken 62-run second-wicket partnership in 5.5 overs, with the Indian vice-captain remaining unbeaten on a 20-ball 37.