Explosive India batsman Suryakumar Yadav is currently in England preparing for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Before the highly anticipated summit clash, Surya showcased his joyful demeanour in a lively rapid-fire session. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on its official Twitter handle, where the dynamic batsman responded to some popular fan questions. During the session, Surya shared an intriguing anecdote about his nickname SKY. He revealed that this moniker was bestowed upon him by former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir during their time together at the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.
“It (the name) came in 2014/15 when I was playing for KKR. That time Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) gave this name because Suryakumar Yadav, he said was too long for everyone to call so SKY came from there,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the video.
When asked about his favourite teammates, Surya said, “There are a lot of them. If you look around, everyone is my best mate. But I love spending time with Ishan (Kishan), Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin. Good to be around them.”
The origin of nickname ‘SKY’ _
Favourite city in the UK __
Favourite English breakfast _This and a lot-more in Rapid-Fire ____ with @surya_14kumar ___ – By @RajalArora #TeamIndia | #WTC23 pic.twitter.com/AgKJN7oErg
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 2, 2023
The clip went viral in no time garnering more than 2 lakh views on Twitter. While a section of social media lavished huge praise on Surya, others wished him good luck ahead of the WTC final.
This Twitter user felt that, “SKY is our forever hero.”
Sky is our forever hero
— Kaushal Yadav (@Kaushal75347324) June 2, 2023
Another person said Surya now needs to perform in “crucial matches.”
Great player However yet to show in crucial matches _ beyond ipl
— Manish (@ManieshONN) June 2, 2023
One fan applauded Surya’s playing style, but predicted that “He’ll be in bench in the WTC final.”
Best SKY __
But, he’ll in bench in #WTCFinal2023 _
— Kishan Kishor (@itskishankishor) June 2, 2023
After completing an outstanding outing in the latest edition of IPL, Suryakumar Yadav will now have to shift focus to Test cricket. Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will take on Australia in the final of the current cycle of WTC. The WTC summit clash between India and Australia will start from June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London.
Coming back to on-field developments, Surya concluded his IPL 2023 campaign with an impressive tally of 605 runs. As the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world, he emerged as the highest scorer for the Mumbai Indians this season, during which he scored a remarkable century and five half-centuries.
But now, Surya must shift his focus to Test cricket. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Team India will face Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). The summit clash will be played at The Oval from June 7.