New Delhi, March 17 Despite struggling academically, Suryakumar Yadav has finally achieved his 80 per cent success rate on the cricket field.
Having recently led India to a historic defense of the T20 World Cup title, Suryakumar boasts an 80 per cent winning rate as national captain in the format. The Mumbai-based cricketer was understandably pleased with his performance, despite his academic struggles.
"I feel that the percentage I was trying to achieve in school and college through studying, I'm finally achieving it in cricket here," he quipped when asked about his success rate since taking over as T20 captain in 2024.
Out of the 52 matches played during this period, the two-time T20 world champions have won 42.
"In school or college, I could never manage to get above (50-60 per cent). But it definitely feels good to hear this (80 per cent winning rate) here. Although, I don't pay much attention to statistics. But no one likes to lose in any game. I also enjoy winning all the games," he said.
Suryakumar's father, Ashok Kumar Yadav, was an Electrical Engineer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
However, Suryakumar never felt inclined towards academics, and his family was supportive enough to encourage his cricketing ambitions.
"…my family tried a lot to educate me first…(but) they soon realized that this boy wasn't interested in studies," he remembered.
"But their support was always there in sports because they could see that I was enjoying it, that I liked playing. So they said, 'Okay, go play. If nothing happens later, then we'll be here to take care of it'," he said.
The ever-smiling batsman from Chembur ensured that he never had to rely on a "Plan B".
