Suryakumar Yadav’s mindblowing 112 not out off just 51 balls in Rajkot on Saturday was certainly the biggest factor that sealed India the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Captain Hardik Pandya , too, acknowledged that, going on to say how “easy” life becomes for him having someone like Surya in the team.

“It makes my life very easy. I always mention that someone like Surya is so important to us in white-ball cricket,” Pandya said after India’s 91-run win in the final T20I on Saturday.

“The way he plays some shots, the way he changes the game, it actually breaks the morale of the bowler and kind of helps the other batter as well.”

The clarity in his thought is another important aspect to have made Surya so successful in the shortest format. “The kind of form he’s in and the clarity he has, you don’t really need to speak to him,” Pandya stated.

“He is always very clear about his plans and that’s the reason he’s successful in this format. He doesn’t doubt his ability.

“Whenever he’s in two minds, he always comes and has a chat.”

Surya’s international debut took place 11 years after he began his domestic career for Mumbai back in February 2010. The delayed debut, in his own words, made him hungrier.

“It has made me hungrier,” Surya told India head coach Rahul Dravid in a video posted on bcci.tv. “The amount of domestic cricket I have played, I have always enjoyed playing that for my state side Mumbai and I’ve always tried to put up a show.

“I’ve enjoyed batting even there. Yes, it was a little challenging in the last few years. But I kept telling myself, ‘This is why you play this game, so enjoy it.’

“The passion for this game kept me driving, so I just kept going.”

As for his array of strokes, Surya agreed that one needs to be a little pre-determined in the T20 format. “Obviously, in this format, you have to be a little bit pre-determined while you need to have other strokes too if the bowler is a step ahead of you during that stage.

“But yes, I try to play to the field, what the bowler can bowl at that time and it works out.”

Talking about his batting during practice sessions, Surya said: “If I am meeting the ball really well, I try and set the field for myself whenever any left-arm spinner or leg-spinner or a fast bowler is bowling, and just try and time the ball well as much as possible.”

Surya also thanked his family for his success so far. “My family’s role has been most important in my cricketing journey till now.

“When I started playing cricket, they were the ones who helped me out of the box. My dad is an engineer. So in my family, there’s no history of sports.

“I had to be a little different for him to see a spark in me and push me.”