IPL 2023: 'He is a pure genius, he is impossible to bowl to,' Tom Moody praises superlative Suryakumar Yadav

There is no stopping Suryakumar Yadav.

The ranked-number-one T20I batter in the world is having the time of his life in IPL 2023, and following his recent headline-making inning against Gujarat Titans, Suryakumar must be on cloud nine. Playing a crucial home game against the defending champions GT, Suryakumar was at his brutal best, scoring his maiden IPL hundred as he remained unbeaten on 103* off 47 balls in the first innings.

A knock that saw him hitting 11 fours and six super sixes, some of which left everyone spell-bounded, including the commentators, SKY, as most fans call him, continued his dream run after a jittery start in this season.

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Tom Moody - the former Aussie all-rounder, was in awe of his inning, much like everyone else, and called it a genius. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after the game, Moody said the way Surya plays, he makes every bowler look clueless as they run out of options on where to bowl to him.

Sharing his thoughts on SKY's inning, Moody said the way Surya manipulates the field, he puts the pressure on the bowler and the opposition captain.

“Genius! That’s the only way that you can describe his batting in this format. He is a pure genius. The way he manipulates the fields, the way conducts where he wants the bowlers to bowl, the pressure he puts on the bowlers and the opposition captain,” Moody said. 

He also said that Surya’s ability to pick the length is impeccable, and with the variety of shots he has under his sleeves, it makes him such a dangerous batter. 

“He has got them in the palm of his hand. If you look at that last shot, you can read the play. You sort of sense that he was going to do that, and the bowler also might be thinking that he might sweep this. But he had just hit the bowler for a six straight over mid-off. He has got so many answers for so many deliveries. He is almost impossible to bowl to,” Moody added while talking highly of Suryakumar Yadav.

Thanks to his maiden IPL hundred, Mumbai posted another 200-plus-total on the board and had GT's back against the wall inside the 12th over. However, an unlikely onslaught from Rashid Khan put GT in a commanding position, they still fell shy of the target by 27 runs.