Clarity in mind and sticking to the basics go a long way in enabling Suryakumar Yadav to bat with such dominance and that too, on a consistent basis.

“I’m always clear about my plans. I don’t try to do anything different and focus on sticking to my basics. I bat the same way at the nets as well,” Suryakumar said at the postmatch presentation after his unbeaten 61 off 25 balls played a crucial in India’s comprehensive win over Zimbabwe in Melbourne on Sunday.

In terms of numbers, 2022 has been a dream year so far for Suryakumar. Being the highest run-getter in T20Is (with 1,026 runs), the India No.4 has nine fifties and a hundred with a very healthy average of 44.60 and a strike rate even more staggering (186.54).

However, he constantly reminds himself that he starts from scratch in every innings. “It feels really good to have such figures, but coming out and starting from zero is what I always think when I come out to bat, and I’ll keep doing that,” Suryakumar stressed.

Head coach Rahul Dravid, too, acknowledged the clarity about Suryakumar’s plans. “He’s very clear about his tactics,” Dravid said at the news conference later.

“One of the things about Surya is the amount of hard work he’s put in at nets, thinking about his game and his fitness. He’s really earning the reward for the hard work he has put in on and off the field, and long may it continue.”