It was definitely not the time of sunrise in Melbourne. In fact, it was the conversion of sunlight into full projector time. In these conditions, the luxury density of SKY – Surya Kumar Yadav – was far greater than the massive towers could teleport to the famous MCG while the Sun God of Indian cricket was shining. SKY excelled with a 350-degree shot as India clinched the top spot in the Pool to enter the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday.
From dawn to dusk, this was a day filled with cricket action. For those worried about what would happen to India against Zimbabwe in the early morning, the deal was already in place. It was sealed for India when the Netherlands filled endless chokers in South Africa in a critical league game. Even if India had lost to Zimbabwe, they would have been in the last four.
No, it was important for India to be first in SKY (61 runs, six fours and four sixes) and the Opener Pool. KL Rahul illuminated the proceedings with strokes that were bright and bright. 186 points out of 20 was too big for Zimbabwe to chase.
Admittedly, this was a happy Sunday, almost a reminder of how joyous it was for India to beat Pakistan in a league match the day before Diwali. The fireworks have not stopped since then. SKY remains the brightest spot and makes us all wonder how his international cricket debut was delayed until 2021. Maybe he needed to prove himself first in the highest ranked club cricket – the IPL – and then take the big stage.
The way SKY strikes, people marvel at its innovation, capturing angles that would make a geometry student proud. He has the capacity, ability and calmness to shatter bowling, which frightens him as much as AB de Villiers, the pioneer of the 360-degree swing. She has had many big hits like Viv Richards, Chris Gayle, Viru Sehwag and even Sachin Tendulkar before.
Australia needed the autumn season for SKY to bloom like a blooming spring rose. The world is at your feet today. Surya Kumar Yadav’s photo. The demolition action was brutal and the way he hits, the way he collects records and kills bowlers makes it so exciting to watch that you have to pop a pill to calm him down. Such hits are limited to audacity and yet have clarity that coaches will marvel at. This is just the beginning, the sunrise, so to speak. While it is absurd to expect him to score in every match, more will come from SKY.
“Thanks Netherlands” – Fans react to Pakistan’s defeat of Bangladesh and qualifying for the last four of the T20 World Cup
India will face England in the final four and Pakistan will face New Zealand as the business end of the World Cup climax.
Sunday was a day of troubles. Even before SKY dominated the Melbourne skyline and the birds chirped at the famous Rod Laver Tennis arena nearby, the Netherlands showed courage, balance and excellence to rock South Africa. It was a match that was glued to TV sets in various time zones around the world. South Africa is the endless choker.
Still, it was terrible for them to have a harvest against the Dutch. Was it pressure on the stomach or just butterflies? It was a combination of factors as Dutch bowlers – Fred Klaasen, Brandon Glover and Ba de Lee fired on all cylinders. Speed and more variety tasted, as they swung the SA shot with accuracy and hunted their minds.
Also read – “Take the bow, Sky!” Drew McIntyre stunned Indian fans by commenting on the Indian cricket team’s win in the World Cup
Packing the SA to 145, tracking 158 was a very weak effort. Was this the same SA side that bounced from India? Are these same SA sides excited as championship winners? They have a pedigree, but they don’t have the performance rating to win big games. This has been proven time and again.
The Dutch are known as great athletes. In football, Johan Cryuff, Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten. Likewise, in hockey, they had one of the best penalty corner specialists of all time in Floris Jan Bovelander, well known to the Indians. Then again, in the swimming pool, the Dutch trained top-notch athletes such as Inge de Bruijn and Pieter van den Hooge. Cricket is a fairly new sport to their nation and they are already starting to get used to it.
The Dutch took cricket seriously and the T20 format is so, a team with a good skill set and athleticism can do damage. From here they can get even stronger until the next ICC T20 World Cup in 2024. They already have a lot to celebrate.
Between those two games, Pakistan also came back to life, albeit a little shakily against Bangladesh to get into the last four. It was impossible for Pakistan to reach the semi-finals, he thought. Still, the way Bangladesh competed against formidable opponents brought out the best in them, and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was truly as majestic as Shahenshah!
His bowling had an astounding zip and hit. Left-armed bowlers have this natural grace and ability to create challenging angles for batters to decode. On Sunday this handsome man showed that he can do it for Pakistan.
Where does it go from here? In the semi-finals, India – England and New Zealand – Pakistan. Predictions are dangerous because this World Cup upset so much and the formbook was shattered. What do Australia and South Africa say?
Also read – WATCH: Ryan Burl stuns to sack Rishabh Pant at T20 World Cup
