Mumbai Indians

It’s a fact: In the last one year, in terms of the combo of run-scoring form, unorthodox shots, picking out gaps in the outfield and sheer consistency in the madness, there’s Suryakumar Yadav, there’s daylight, and then there’s the rest of the world. 2022 has just been that kind of a year.

Now think about this – it hasn’t even been two years since he made his international debut. And it’s tough to think of an Indian XI without Surya. Historically, a consistent number four is a rarity. Number four can rarely ever be a one-man role, given the sheer extremity the job demands. You could be in in the first over. You could be in in the last. You could be asked to rebuild. You could be asked to start on top gear. Seamlessly, effortlessly, Surya has been making all this seem so damn normal. He’s just fitted perfectly into this constantly-aggressive Indian batting template.

Have a look at Aapla Dada’s numbers:

Go on, try finding a weakness. Or rather, try finding a way to stop him. Okay, at least a way to slow him down.

On the true, bouncy Australian wickets, where the ball comes onto the bat beautifully, this purple patch could only get purpler. They say sky is the limit. But with SKY, the limit is still unknown.