Two days after missing out on India selection, Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav made a statement with the bat by hitting an unbeaten 79 off 43 balls to guide his team to a win against Royal Challengers Bangalore that almost qualifies them for a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 playoffs. Suryakumar had a unique celebration reserved for the moment of victory which could explain why he did not celebrate much after reaching his fifty - he wanted to stay till the end and finish off the chase. Accolades poured in for the Mumbai batsman but none greater than the current India coach Ravi Shastri, who tweeted a message for the top-order bat, asking him to stay "strong and patient." "Surya namaskar (emoji) Stay strong and patient @surya_14kumar," Shastri tweeted.
Harbhajan Singh, who had expressed disappointment at Suyakumar's omission from the Indian team, used emojis to convey his message.
"Fantastic innings by @surya_14kumar. Calm and composed as ever," wrote Sachin Tendulkar.
"Suryakumar Yadav is worth every moment of your time when you tune in to see him bat. What a player!!!!!!!" wrote Ian Bishop on Twitter.
Scott Styris had an offer to make.
"The all-round excellence of Suryakumar Yadav has been a treat to watch. Interesting that he talked about meditation to get over the hot-headed image he had acquired. Whatever the reason, he is playing the best cricket of his life," tweeted commentator Harsha Bhogle.
Tom Moody even questioned his omission from the India limited-overs squad for the tour of Australia.
Suryakumar has scored 362 runs from 12 matches this season at a strike rate of 155.36 with three fifties.