‘Did you bluff Virat Kohli there?’: Axar Patel grills Suryakumar Yadav over ‘par score’ against Afghanistan, SKY reacts

Team India’s star batter, Suryakumar Yadav, produced a strong knock under pressure during the side’s win against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup on Thursday. India had a shaky start to their innings after Rohit Sharma opted to bat; the captain was dismissed early on 8, while Virat Kohli also endured another tough outing, scoring run-a-ball 24 before being dismissed by Rashid Khan.

Despite the initial setbacks, Suryakumar showcased his attacking flair, reaching his half-century off just 27 balls before falling to the next delivery. His aggressive approach played a pivotal role in India’s commanding 47-run victory.

Following the match, the BCCI shared a video capturing a candid conversation between Suryakumar and all-rounder Axar Patel, who reflected on their performances in India’s win. Axar humorously recounted an intriguing moment during the match where Kohli appeared to offer batting advice to Suryakumar after the 10th over break. 

Suryakumar’s response, however, suggested he might have playfully “bluffed” the Indian batting stalwart, opting instead to trust his natural instincts at the crease. While Suryakumar’s decision to play his aggressive game brought him and the Indian team success, Axar seemed to pull Suryakumar’s leg regardless.

“We had a break in 10th over, and I heard Virat bhai say something. What was that? Because as soon as you went back (to the field), you started hitting slog-sweep and all!” Axar pointed out. Suryakumar, in turn, replied that he took the aggressive route as he wanted to build momentum after a sluggish start to the Indian innings.

“Actually, 160 looked a par-score on this wicket. It was hard batting at first. But then, I thought if I started with a strong momentum after the break and hit a couple of boundaries, it would be easy for us and the new batters coming in as well,” replied the 33-year-old.

Axar then playfully said, “That means you bluffed Virat bhai!” 

Suryakumar gave into a laugh, saying, “No, no, I didn’t bluff! I was just being myself!”

This was the batter’s second successive half-century; in his previous innings, he scored a level-headed unbeaten 50 off 49 deliveries to guide India to a seven-wicket win in the 111-run chase against the United States. The result sealed India’s entry into the Super Eight stage in the tournament.

India face Bangladesh next

Still unbeaten in the ongoing edition, India’s next challenge will be against Bangladesh, who faced a tough defeat at the hands of the high-flying Australia in their opening Super Eight match on Friday. India previously took on Bangladesh in the warm-up match of the tournament last month, where Rohit Sharma’s men convincingly registered a 60-run win.