Dubai: Toss proved a crucial factor in the Twenty20 World Cup last year and batting second was a big advantage to the teams' fortunes and that trend could continue in this DP World Asia Cup as well.
Out of the four matches so far, only India won the clash batting first and they managed to achieve it against minnows Hong Kong, who still gave a good fight batting second.
Responding to a query from Gulf News, Suryakumar Yadav, who changed the complexion of the match in a seven-over period, feels that the wicket played better in the second innings, however he refused to accept that toss is becoming a key factor.
A tad challenging
“The pitch became a little easier to bat in the second innings. However, it only gives a slight advantage, but it is not a deciding factor yet and there was no dew on the wicket. So toss is not going to impact the game in a bit way,” the star player said at a post-match press conference after defeating Hong Kong by a 40-run margin.
“Batting first is definitely a tad challenging. But we are working on the ideal target, which would be fine while batting first. During the match, we kept assessing what would be a good total, how the tempo should be like and how we should go about business at the back end.
“The plan was clear and we were talking a lot on what to do after two-three balls. Having experienced people there was very necessary as I haven’t featured in as many T20I as he’s played. But from inside, enjoyed a lot,” he added, heaping praise on Virat Kohli role in the unbroken 98-run partnership in the final seven overs.
Talking about his knock, Suryakumar Yadav said “Situation was such that I had to bat like that. At the start, the wicket was a touch slow, but out in the middle, Virat bhai asked me to go and express myself. I had a very clear game plan on how I had to bat and the knock was very enjoyable,” added the world No 2 in Twenty20 rankings.
After India’s innings, talismanic batter Virat Kohli bowed down in front of Suryakumar and said kya hai yeh (what is this, dude?).
Kohli’s reaction summed up the feelings of cricket fans across the world.
“It was a heartwarming gesture from Virat Kohli as I hadn’t seen that before. But I was wondering why he wasn’t walking ahead and then when I realised, I asked him to walk together. He is much more experienced than me. After the first innings and match ended, I said to him all the time that it was enjoyable batting alongside you.”
