‘Lucky that He’s Indian, If he was in Pakistan…’ – Ex-Pakistan opener takes dig at PCB as he heaps praise on Suryakumar Yadav

ryakumarWithin a year of playing his debut game for India, Suryakumar Yadav had a significant impact on world cricket. He has undoubtedly made a name for himself as one of the best players in white-ball cricket, particularly in the shortest format. He hit his third century in a Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka on Saturday, helping India win the series 2-1 with a 91-run victory. Su has only played 45 times for India, but he is now one century short of Rohit Sharma’s record for the most hundreds in T20Is.

It is impossible to ignore Suryakumar’s skill; in fact, the Pakistan cricket community frequently discusses him. After Surya’s outstanding performance in Rajkot, former opener Salman Butt lauded the Indian batsman but also made fun of his country’s cricket governing body, the PCB, by claiming that if Surya were a Pakistani cricketer, he would have had to work very hard to earn a spot on the national squad.

Suryakumar broke into the team when he was 30: Salman Butt

“I was reading everywhere that he came to international cricket when he was over 30. I just thought he’s lucky that he is Indian. If he was in Pakistan, he would’ve been a victim to the over-30 policy (there have been reports that the Ramiz Raja-led PCB didn’t allow players who are 30 or above to join the national team),” Butt said in his latest YouTube video.

“Those who are in the team, they are fine. Those who aren’t in the team, they don’t have a chance. Suryakumar broke into the team when he was 30. So, his case is different. The fitness, the batting reflexes, the batting maturity… it’s like he already knows what the bowlers are going to bowl,” he added.

Now, the Mumbai franchise batter will make a comeback in the ODIs, which will start on Tuesday in Guwahati. The big guns like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul will also return to action in the series after taking a break for the T20Is.