'Tu video game khel raha hai kya?' - Kohli's amusing word of praise for Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav unveiled a moment that left even the great Virat Kohli awestruck about his batting style and adventurous strokeplay in the middle. The Indian T20I maverick reminisced a word of praise from the former skipper, who felt the batter is playing a "video game" with the bat in hand. 

Seeing him dominate the bowling and finding ways to fetch the boundary off different lengths, Kohli told his partner, he feels he is seeing someone virtually take on the bowling, for one hasn't seen someone play the 360-degree game literally with such ease other than the legendary AB de Villiers. 

It's easy for anyone watching to mistake Suryakumar Yadav to be in the virtual zone with the bat since he tends to make powerhitting look remarkably easier than it actually is. An aggressive right-hander, with a deep range, Suryakumar hits unusual areas on the outfield and plays with an eye-catching strike rate. 

Since his T20I debut last year for India, the Mumbaikar has blasted his 1,408 runs over 40 innings with a jaw-dropping SR of 180.97 while averaging 44. He has struck two centuries and twelve fifties to his name, including three at the recent T20 World Cup in Australia, where he finished as India's second highest run-maker behind Kohli. 

SKY reveals Kohli's awestruck moment watching him bat 

"Once I was batting with Virat (Kohli) bhai, and he came and told me 'tu video game khel raha hai kya? Alag chal raha hai tera bhi (Are you playing video games? You are at a different level).' It felt nice to hear these things," Suryakumar Yadav revealed in an interview with The Indian Express. 

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Not just Kohli, or skipper Rohit Sharma, the 32-year-old has also impressed head coach Rahul Dravid with his game and approach in the middle. Dravid is learnt to have told Suryakumar he is the team's game-changer, keeping in mind the position he bats and the situations he tends to walk in to do the job. 

"I spoke to Rahul (Dravid) bhai too. When he saw my innings like these, he came and told me that the position at which I bat, I can go and change the game. When he became India coach, I went and told him once that when the match is between the 7-14 over stage, please send me out to bat."

"I have batted in that situation plenty of times for Mumbai Indians. I know how to score runs in that particular situation. My mind was clear and I just went and told him. He agreed and told me to express myself whenever I go out to bat," he added.