Suryakumar Yadav expresses readiness to face Pakistan`s Usman Tariq

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Skipper Suryakumar Yadav accepted that India`s batting has been a bit scratchy in the opening two matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup, but was confident of nullifying the sling-spin of Pakistan`s Usman Tariq, whom he termed as an “out of syllabus question” during an exam. “See, sometimes there is a question in the exam as well which is out of syllabus. So, we can`t leave that question. To tackle that, you have to adopt your own way. Yes, he is a different character when he comes to bowl,” the Indian skipper said at the pre-match conference. 

“But at the same time, we can`t just surrender. We practise with similar types of bowlers and similar actions. We will try to execute what we are practising in the net sessions,” said Suryakumar. India were reduced to 77 for six by the USA and then Namibia grabbed five wickets for four runs in the death overs, exposing certain chinks in their batting. Now, set to play at the slow-burning Premadasa pitch here on Sunday, the Indian batters will be up against the Pakistan spin battery led by Tariq, whose quirky pause and deliver action has caused a debate about its legality in cricketing universe.

“We had a scratchy start. You can`t run away from the fact that it was not a proper T20 wicket. But I said earlier too that you can`t actually brush everything under the carpet. There is no excuse,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the match. “But we came back strongly. So, that`s the beauty of T20 cricket. One or two batters I think taking that responsibility makes us cross the line,” he added. But Surya knew that his side would be tested by Pakistan spinners here. The Mumbai man also said playing against Pakistan is all about taming big moments and keeping the nerves afar.

“Yes, there will be pressure. As I said, you can`t run away from the fact that there won`t be any pressure. There will be nerves, butterflies in the stomach when we start the game tomorrow. But yeah, at the same time, if there`s no pressure, no nerves, then there`s no fun to play cricket. “And yeah, it`s a big occasion. But yeah, I mean, every time I say the same thing, at the end of the day, it`s just another game. You have to pack your skills, play some good cricket, focus on what you want to do better, and we`ll see what happens,” he said.

Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Surya said the team would stick to the familiar template of aggressive cricket. Surya knew that Pakistan had been stationed in Sri Lanka since the last fortnight, but remained unfazed, and banked on his team`s experience to come up trumps. “They might have some edge. But as I said, we have come here before, we have played in these conditions, we know how the pitch plays, similar conditions to India. It`s like the same situation for both the teams. See, it`s definitely challenging when you come to Sri Lanka. “But then at the end of the day, you have to challenge yourself, somehow find a solution and come out good,” he noted.

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