Surya Kumar Yadav Biography, Age, Education, Lesser Known Facts

Surya Kumar Yadav is an Indian International Cricketer, also known as India's very own Mr. 360. His 'Sweep shots' have garnered him considerable popularity and have rendered him a sensation amongst his fans. While young Surya was just a cricket fan like countless other Indian kids, it was his fate to lodge his name in the Hall of Fame in the Indian and International cricket scene.

In this article, you will find everything about Surya Kumar Yadav's biography, education, early life, and some amazing facts you must know. Not just that, we will also discuss Surya and his ICC Men's World Cup 2024 journey from selection to the current performance. So, let's get started! 

Who's Surya Kumar Yadav? 

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Surya Kumar Yadav Biography (Early Life & Education)

Surya Kumar Yadav was born on 14th September 1990 to a Hindu family in Hathouda village of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. His father Ashok Kumar Yadav is the chief engineer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (Mumbai) and his mother Swapna Yadav is a housewife. The Indian player is one of three children and has two siblings- a sister and a brother. He spent the initial years of his childhood in UP but when he was 10 years old, his father got a job offer in Mumbai.

So, Suryakumar Yadav's family shifted from Ghazipur to Mumbai, a move that opened new doors not just for his family but also for Surya and his cricket aspirations. We'll discuss the Indian cricketer's career trajectory in detail later on, first, let's have a look at Surya Kumar Yadav's educational background:

• Surya went to the Atomic Energy Central School in Mumbai and got his early education there.
• He then went on to get intermediate education from the Atomic Evergy Junior College in Mumbai.
• For his graduation, Surya compiled a B.Com degree from the Pillai College of Arts, Commerce, and Science, Mumbai. It was here that he would meet his wife Devisha Shetty, a dance coach.

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Surya Kumar's Cricket Fervour

Do you believe in the old saying - 'Every expert was once a beginner'?

We think it's true, and it aligns perfectly with Surya Kumar's cricket journey. As we know, the famous Indian cricketer got his initial training playing gully cricket in the streets of Varanasi like most Indian kids. But a talent this big cannot be contained and always finds a way to shine through, just like it did for SKY.

• Interestingly enough, at the beginning of his fascination with sports, Surya was interested in playing both badminton and cricket. But his father advised him to choose and focus on a single sport. Guess it was cricket for him.
• So his paternal uncle Vinod Kumar Yadav became his first cricket coach and started training him at Dr. Sampurnanand Sports Stadium, Sigra, Varanasi.

• While training was going well, Surya and his family had to move bases when he was 10 years old. But this separation brought on a bright new beginning for him. Surya's father was privy to his son's love for the sport, and on reaching Mumbai enrolled SKY in a cricket camp at the BARC colony where Ashok Kamat took the role of his cricket coach.
• Surya continued to show immense commitment and passion for cricket. So at 12 years, he joined the Elf Vengsarkar Academy at his father's insistence and started training under former cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar.

Here's what SKY had to say about his cricket camp training days:

"It helped that the colony had a ground of its own. Besides stalwarts such as former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar and batsman Lal Chand Rajput had ties with the colony and would visit often."

• A little while into his training, Surya Kumar Yadav started playing age-group cricket at the Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club and continued developing his skills.
• In addition to the Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club, SKY played the club cricket circuit for Shivaji Park Gymkhana, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Dadar Union Club.
• And after a period of 8 years, Surya's hard work and the hours spent training started paying off when the Mumbai Cricket Association selected him for the Mumbai Team in 2010. 
• He made his List A cricket debut for the Mumbai Team in 2010 and played the 2010-11 Ranji Season against Gujarat in Ahmedabad. 
• Surya Kumar Yadav also made his T20 debut for Mumbai and played in Indore, against Hyderabad in March 2010. Then in December 2010, he made his 1st class cricket debut for Mumbai against Delhi and scored 73 runs off 89 balls.

• In the 2011-12 Ranji Season, Yadav once again met Mumbai Cricket Association's expectations and went on to become the top scorer for his state team. He scored 754 runs in 9 matches of the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy series, and a double century in the match against Odisha. 
• In 2011, SKY won the MA Chidambaram Trophy for Best Cricketer (Under-22 level). He put up an amazing performance scoring 721 runs (average 80.11) in 7 matches, proving his mettle and instilling that belief in every spectator's mind.
• The year 2012 marked another big milestone for Surya's career in cricket. This was when the Indian batter's 2011-12 season (and previous) performances garnered him a spot on Mumbai India's IPL Team.
• Suryakumar Yadav continued his domestic cricket career as a veteran player of the Mumbai team and even captained the team for a while, in the Ranji Trophy segment.

• But the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) asked him to step down from the captaincy in the 2014-15 Ranji Season and even went ahead to drop him from the 2018-19 season of the Ranji Trophy.
• However, the Indian batter's raw talent did not go unnoticed and he made the India C's squad in 2017. He then went on to play in the 2018-19 Deodhar Trophy for the India C's team.
• After a while, the MCA also reevaluated their decision and reappointed Surya as the captain for the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy tournament.
• SKY also led the Mumbai team in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as the Team Captain. He scored 94 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group B Super League match against Karnataka which resulted in Mumbai winning the match by 7 wickets.
• In 2021, he also scored 249 runs in the final match against Payyade Sports Club while he was playing for the Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club, in Police Shield Tournament.
  

  This match and the subsequent win were monumental because Parsi Gymkhana Cricket Club hadn't won the tournament since 1956. Suryakumar Yadav's performance garnered him the Best Batsman Award and the club became the first to win 3 trophies back-to-back in different formats.

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Timeline Of Surya's International Cricket Journey

Suryakumar Ashok Yadav's excellent performance in cricket at the domestic level finally garnered him a spot in the International cricket scene. 

• After years of hard work, one of India's favorite cricketers was selected for India's T20 International squad in 2021. He made his T20I match debut in the fourth match against England on March 14th, 2021. 
• Surya hit a six on the very first ball of his T20 international debut becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat and marking a great start to his international career. He also scored fifty in the same match, and the very next day, Surya was selected for India's ODI squad, for the England series. 

• In June 2021, SKY was selected for both the ODI and Twenty20 International squads to play in the series against Sri Lanka.
• Surya made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on July 18th, 2021, and scored his maiden ODI fifty on July 21st, 2021.
• In his next step to success and fame, Surya got a spot on the Indian National Team for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in September 2021. He was also selected for the Test squad in 2021 and played against New Zealand.
• The cricket Gods kept granting SKY his wishes and in June 2022 he was once again named on India's squad for the T20 International series against Ireland.
• A month later, in July 2022, Suryakumar Ashok Yadav went on to hit his maiden T20 International century (117 runs from 55 balls) against England. He is notably the 5th Indian cricketer to score 100 runs in T20I.
• SKY maintained good form throughout this stint, and in October 2022 became the 'fastest batsman' to score 1000 runs (573 balls) in T20 Internationals playing against South Africa. He also got the first spot in the ICC T20 International rankings for batsmen.
• Again in October 2022, India's very own Mr 360 scored his first fastest half-century in T20I World Cup, making him the fourth Indian batsman to achieve this feat in T20 World Cup.
• Another notable performance from the cricketer came in November 2022 when he scored his second T20I century (111 runs, not out, off 51 balls) while playing against New Zealand. SKY thus became the 2nd Indian batsman to hit two T20 International centuries in the same calendar year. 
• Surya's impeccable performance in 2022 won him the ICC T20I Player of the Year title.
• In January 2024, Surya hit his fastest century (off 45 balls) in a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. This was his 3rd century in the T20 International. He broke KL Rahul's record and replaced it by registering the second fastest T20I century by an Indian batter. 
• Even though SKY made the Indian Test squad in 2021, his Test debut was in February-March 2024, playing against Australia.

Surya Kumar Yadav Aka SKY's IPL Highlights

Every year Indian cricket fans wait with baited breaths for the Indian Premier League. The 2-month long journey is riddled with happiness, heartbreak, and bittersweet moments for all. The same holds true for the cricketers who partake in the league. On this note, let's take a peek into Surya's IPL journey:

• In the 2012 IPL series, Mumbai Indians (MI) acquired Yadav on the basis of his Ranji performance. However, the cricketer hardly got a chance to play during the season. He was then released by MI in the next season in 2013.
• After missing out on a season, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought SKY in the 2014 IPL auctions.
• Ironically, in 2015, he played a match-winning inning from KKR against Mumbai and scored 46 runs off 20 balls. This great performance cemented the team's belief in his batsmanship and he became the Vice-Captain for KKR. 
• In 2018 auctions, Mumbai Indians once again acquired Surya for INR 3.2 Crore. He continued to play well and had an amazing season. 
• Subsequently, the Mumbai Indians retained him in the 2022 IPL Mega Auctions for INR 8 Crores. However, he was ruled out of the season due to an injury in his left forearm.
• The cricketer is still with the Mumbai Indians, who retained him for INR 8 Crores in the IPL 2024 mega auctions.

Here is a snapshot view of Surya's salary for his IPL career:

Surya Kumar Yadav & ICC Men's World Cup 2024

With the ICC Men's World Cup 2024 underway, the air in the nation (especially Delhi) is filled with anticipation and excitement. This year has been one of the most eventful years for our nation, with it being the first time we are the sole hosts of such a big event. Naturally, the Indian squad selection was one of the most controversial and awaited parts for everyone. 

Back to the field! Suryakumar Yadav suffered a setback in December 2023 during the T20 series against South Africa. Yadav sustained a  grade-2 ankle ligament tear during a match, forcing him to be carried off the field. The severity of the injury necessitated surgery. The injury ruled him out of the remaining matches against South Africa, the subsequent T20 series against Afghanistan, and the initial stages of the IPL 2024 season. However, Suryakumar recently posted a video story on his Instagram where he was seen net practicing. Depending on his recovery, Suryakumar Yadav may get some minutes under his belt in the IPL 2024 ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

While some cricket lovers got what they wanted, some were left disappointed in BCCI's decisions. One such decision that had the audiences and veterans divided was the selection of Surya Kumar Yadav for the 15-member squad over other players like Sanju Samson, etc. Many believed that since Yadav has an average of scoring 24.33 runs in the 26 ODIs he has played, he should not be preferred over Sanju, who has played only 13 ODIs but has an average run rate of 55. 

Kumar's track record this year has also been full of steep ups and downs. And even though he has made it to the squad, he is yet to make his debut in the series by reaching the top 11. What do you think will happen? Will we get to see him on the field against Pakistan? Or snacking on the bench?

Well, one thing is for sure! Surya Kumar has always kept working towards his goals despite all the turmoil throughout his cricket journey so far, and we are sure he'll keep going. This goes to show that life truly is what you make it. And we hope that this Indian batsman continues to strive for the best and does the nation proud. #BeUnstoppable

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