Since breaking into the international scene in 2021, Suryakumar Yadav has been an unstoppable force in T20I cricket, where he has smashed sixes and boundaries at will with his stunning 360-degree game. His scintillating show in the format even saw him rise to the top of the ICC rankings quickly, and he has maintained the spot since. However, heading into the all-important match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in New York, Suryakumar's credential has been questioned with former cricketer Kamran Akmal firing a challenge.

Speaking to Times of India, Akmal reckoned that while the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have managed to prove themselves in the big stage and in big-pressure games like those against Pakistan in multi-nation events, Suryakumar, despite being the No. 1-ranked batter in T20Is has failed to score against Babar Azam's men.

“Virat Kohli is on top. Second is Suryakumar Yadav. His performance against Pakistan is yet to come, but I will still pick him. Rohit Sharma has already proved himself and has scored runs against Pakistan in ICC events, and now it is Suryakumar Yadav's turn. If he is No. 1, then he should come and score against Pakistan. He hasn't scored big runs against Pakistan whenever he has come to bat. However, he has scored a lot of runs against other teams. He is a classy player and a 360-degree player. It is a treat to watch him bat. He has cemented his place in a very short period of time,” he said.

The right-handed batter has faced Pakistan four times in the last three years and has managed only 57 runs, which none of his knocks more than 20. Two of those were in Asia Cup and two in the T20 World Cup.

On Sunday, Suryakumar will be raring to go up against the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah when the two arch-rivals face off in New York in the Group A match of the 2024 T20 World Cup. India head into the game on the back of a comfortable win against Ireland, while Pakistan had succumbed to a humiliating loss to the USA via Super Over.

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