Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Suryakumar Yadav for playing a crucial knock in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final win against England as well. He scored 47 off 36 with the help of four fours and two sixes and helped India post a 172-run target after being asked to bat first in Providence, Guyana, on Thursday, June 27. The Indian team then bowled England out for 103 to register a 68-run win and seal their place in the final against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, June 29.

While praising Rohit Sharma in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra also appreciated Suryakumar Yadav, saying: “Suryakumar Yadav also actually played a good knock. It was an important knock. He scooped (Chris) Jordan for a six and also played spin well. He didn’t get to his fifty but his knock was also good. Mumbai and India’s Rohit Sharma was there at one end and Suryakumar Yadav is his partner in the franchise and here. Both of them batted extremely well together and took the Indian team to a safe position.”

“Suryakumar Yadav did not start well (in the tournament). He was struggling. He got out against Pakistan and got trolled. However, after that, he scored fifties in two matches, important runs in this match, and scored runs in the last match as well. So he has been consistently now scoring runs. The pitches on which he has scored runs haven’t been that easy,” Chopra further added.

Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma (57 off 39) stitched together a 73-run third-wicket partnership after India were reduced to 40/2 as well. However, Yadav is India’s second-highest run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, with his 196 runs only behind Rohit’s 248. Aakash Chopra also praised Hardik Pandya for playing well.

“There was a slight change in the batting order as well. Hardik Pandya was sent slightly up the order and he scored extremely important 23 runs off 13 balls. The back-to-back sixes he hit against Chris Jordan suddenly made us reach an above-par score. I was thinking 145-150 would be a par score,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “Shivam Dube – first-ball duck. This World Cup hasn’t been good for Dube at all. This is a problem but I think India don’t want to address that. Jaddu was sent up the order and he scored 17 runs off nine balls. I was slightly surprised why he was sent early but he was sent and he did a good job as well. Axar Patel also scored 10 runs off six balls. He too hit a six.”