Suryakumar Yadav reacts to receiving 2nd consecutive ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year ahead of T20 World Cup: ‘Grateful’
Suryakumar Yadav has been conferred the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year award for the second time in a row.
Suryakumar Yadav is among the Indian players training for their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in the United States. SKY had a patchy season with the Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), missing a big part of the tournament as he was recovering from injury and looking rusty for a few games once he was available for selection.
And yet, he managed to score 345 runs at a strike rate of 167.47 which included a masterful 51-ball 102 not out. He was always expected to be one the first names on the team sheet for the T20 World Cup and in the days leading up to the tournament, SKY's dominance of the format was testified by him winning the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award for the second year in a row.
SKY on Wednesday posted a photo on Instagram of himself posing in the new Indian jersey with the award while wearing the ICC's commemorative cap. “Grateful,” he said in the caption of the image. Suryakumar scored 733 runs in 17 T20I innings in 2023 at a strike rate of 155.95 and average of 48.86.
Suryakumar's recovery from injury
Suryakumar was captain of the Indian team for a three-match T20I series in South Africa in December. His last T20I game was the third match of the series which India won by a whopping 106 runs. Suryakumar scored 100 off 56 balls in that match but later hobbled off the field after injuring his ankle during the South African innings. He had to undergo a surgery for the injury and was later ruled out of India's series at home against Afghanistan as he had to go under the knife for a sports hernia that had worsened over time and needed medical intervention.
Suryakumar underwent a lengthy period of recovery which also forced him to miss Mumbai Indians' first three matches of the 2024 season. He finally played his first game since December in MI's home match against Delhi Capitals. While MI won that match by 29 runs, Suryakumar fell for a two-ball duck. He then came back to form in scintillating fashion in the next match, smashing 52 in 19 balls and helping MI to a seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He had reached his half-century in just 17 balls.
