Happy Birthday Suryakumar Yadav: India and Mumbai Indians T20 maverick, Suryakumar Yadav, celebrates his birthday on Sunday, September 14. The extraordinary right-hander, who continues to amaze cricket
fans with his unabashed approach and dominant streak in the middle, turns 35.
Suryakumar will be leading India’s T20I side against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Group A tussle of the Asia Cup 2025 on what will be a special occasion for the experienced Mumbaikar and the protagonist of one of Indian cricket’s most inspiring tales.
A late-bloomer, Suryakumar didn’t get a chance to play for India until the age of 30 despite piling on the runs for the five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
After stuttering along as an inconsistent striker for Kolkata Knight Riders until 2017, Suryakumar came into his own with IPL 2018 under MI’s wings, showing an expanded range against quality fast-bowling and a variety of spinners.
In his breakthrough season, the exceptional right-hander blasted 512 runs in 14 innings and turned his career around in an influential three-year phase where he became an integral part of MI’s winning juggernaut and finally earned a maiden call-up at the international stage with the five-T20I series against England in March 2021.
Mr 360 Degree
Overcoming doubts about his age and skill, Suryakumar’s arrival on the international scene ushered in a new era of Indian T20 batting as he transformed the approach commonly seen with Indian players in the middle and inspired the rest to attack.
Playing a highly aggressive brand of cricket from the word go, Suryakumar accessed all sides of the ground and earned the tag of ‘Mr 360 degree’ from commentators and experts. He stands today as a picture of excellence in the shortest format, having struck 4,311 runs in IPL at a strike rate of 148.66 and over 2,500 runs in T20Is at an even more extravagant scoring rate of 167.07.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Top 5 Innings
- 117 off 55 vs England: In an innings reflecting his astonishing rise, Suryakumar blasted his maiden T20I ton against England in Nottingham and nearly took India through to what would’ve been a 3-0 series sweep in 2022.
- 111* off 51 vs New Zealand: Mr 360 soon smashed his second T20I hundred for India, hammering New Zealand for a 51-ball unbeaten 111, including 11 fours and 7 sixes, in November 2022.
- 112* off 51 vs Sri Lanka: Suryakumar hit the Lankan Lions during a series-deciding T20I in Rajkot in early 2023. His unbeaten 112 off 51 balls became India’s second-fastest T20I hundred and gave the hosts a 2-1 series win.
- 103* off 49 vs Gujarat Titans: In the IPL, Suryakumar posted his highest score of 103 not out off just 49 deliveries against the then defending champions Gujarat Titans in May 2023.
- 102* off 51 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: The T20 great dented the spirits of the Sunrisers Hyderabad with another tremendous innings of 102 not out in just 51 deliveries, including 12 fours and 6 sixes, during IPL 2024.
