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After an uneventful ODI World Cup campaign, Suryakumar
Yadav has returned to his custom of making waves in T20 cricket. Suryakumar,
who is currently serving as India’s temporary captain for the Twenty20
International series against Australia, blasted a thunderous 42-ball 80 on
Thursday, four nights after he was involved in that sad World Cup final defeat
for his country. The innings included nine boundaries and four maximums. Three
nights later, India took an early 2-0 lead in the five-match series as he blasted
two sixes in his 10-ball cameo knock of 19.
The two knocks on the back of the ODI World Cup
display provoked a conversation about the enigma surrounding Suryakumar in the
two white-ball forms, but it also rekindled interest in the beast that is
Suryakumar in Twenty20 cricket. Due to his all-around hitting skills, the India
star has been compared to one of the game’s greatest batters, AB de Villiers.
However, not many have referred to him as a “New Universe Boss” due
to his complete dominance under all conditions, regardless of the bowling
attack. ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle, however, didn’t appear to like of the
resemblance.
Responding to a Hindustan Times query on the sidelines
of the Dehradun leg of the ongoing 2023 Legends League Cricket, Gayle
indignantly threw his hands up hands in the air and settled the speculation.
“No, there’s no other Gayle. There will never ever be another Gayle. There
will never ever be. It’s only going to be one Universe Boss, just one,” he
stressed.
Gayle was all praise for India skipper Rohit Sharma
and his new-look aggressive batting in the ODI World Cup, which went a long way
towards helping the team make it to the final, even if he soon moved on from
the topic. In the process, he also eclipsed the mark held by the West Indies
icon for the most sixes in international cricket.
Gayle congratulated Rohit, stating, “I like his
aggressive batting. I want batters to destroy bowlers, and Rohit is one of them
who does that.”