Former Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has put his weight behind Suryakumar Yadav after the first T20I against Australia at the Manuka Oval, Canberra on Wednesday. Karthik noted that SKY has all the class and experience under his belt and backed him to be at his best in the T20 World Cup.

SKY wasn’t in the best of form in the Asia Cup as he could only manage 72 runs in seven games, but he scored an impressive knock of 39 runs off 24 balls against the Aussies in the opening game. Yadav took his time initially, however, he was able to change gears after getting settled at the crease. The Indian captain added 62 runs off just 35 balls with his deputy Shubman Gill.

Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz, “He has that skill if he is willing to absorb pressure if sometimes he doesn’t get runs. He will only get better after this knock. This country as a venue suits him very nicely as he loves pace and bounce. I have no doubt that he is a player who will definitely succeed and be very effective as the World Cup comes purely because of the skills he possesses.”

Meanwhile, SKY hit Australia’s ace pacer Josh Hazlewood for a six over deep fine-leg as he played his trademark shot on the leg-side. Karthik highlighted that there is a certain beauty by which SKY picks what ball is going to come into him.

“There is a certain beauty to the way he picks which ball is going to come to him because he is one of those batters without too much foot movement. He almost premediates into a certain position but for him to constantly be ahead of the bowler and know what he wants to do, that’s a great skill to have,” said Karthik (via the aforementioned source).

The second T20I between Australia and India will be played at the MCG on Friday.