Suryakumar Yadav, India’s vice-captain in the T20 International format, said the team is “fine” with any surface they play on after the head curator at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow was replaced due to the low-scoring second T20I against New Zealand.
India won that match to send the series to a decider, but the pitch gained attention as not a single six was hit in the game. And later, India captain Hardik Pandya went on to term the Lucknow pitch as a “shocker”.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of the third and final T20I against New Zealand, Yadav said the team will look to remain focusses on the things that are in their control.
“We (Hardik and I) had a chat later on, and it was like, whatever we got in future we will go with it. It’s completely fine,” said Yadav.
“It doesn’t matter what soil you play on. These are the things which aren’t in your control. We did what we had in our control, we had to adapt, apply on that ground and move on with the situation. But it was an exciting game. Any game, ODI or T20I, low or high scoring, if there’s competition in the game, wickets, I don’t think, matter a lot. You go out there, have a challenge, accept it and move on.”
India had found themselves in a tough spot at 70/4 in the second T20I but Yadav and Pandya remained calm and closed out the 100-run chase with one ball to spare.
“Actually, we (Pandya and I) have been batting together for a very long time now,” said Yadav. “We had some good partnerships in the past.
“At that time, it was very important for us to have good communication and have a nice atmosphere as we knew that it was a little tense in the last over. We were just having a laugh, backing each other and telling each other whoever got an opportunity let’s try and finish the game.”
Yadav, like he has often done in the past, attributed his vast experience in domestic cricket to his composure while batting in tense situations.
“I’ve played a lot of domestic cricket before making my international debut, that has helped me a lot,” said the 32-year-old.
“You have to apply yourself a lot and the grind you have there, playing on different challenging tracks, I just carried it from there. Rest I’ve learnt seeing so many senior players in the team, talking to them. Every game, I try to put my best foot forward.”
The right-hander could also make his Test debut with the upcoming series against Australia, beginning in Nagpur on February 9. He has had a rapid rise in the shortest format and for now, he remains focussed on the decider against New Zealand on Wednesday.
“Obviously, everyone wants to play Test cricket. You start your cricket at domestic level, playing with red ball only, and I played for Mumbai,” said Yadav.
“We all know how exciting the series would be, but at the same time, it’s about staying in the present and the focus is on how to give your best for tomorrow’s game, then we have full time to think about Tests.”
Reflecting on playing the third T20I in Ahmedabad, where he had made his international debut, Yadav added: “I told my manager also ‘I’m back where it all began’. Even I took the steps slowly thinking of 2021 and how I came here. I’ve very good memories, but it will be completely different now. I’m very excited. Beautiful stadium, amazing crowd, looking forward to an exciting game tomorrow.”
Quotes courtesy PTI. Watch Suryakumar Yadav’s full press conference here.
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