[Watch] Suryakumar Yadav Discloses Story Behind His Nickname 'SKY'

image-lq844r3zSuryakumar Yadav | Source: X.com

Suryakumar Yadav's journey in Indian cricket, particularly in T20s, has been nothing short of phenomenal. From his debut a couple of years ago to captaining the Indian team in the shortest format, the Mumbai batter’s journey is a testament to his exceptional growth.  

Suryakumar Yadav led India to a 4-1 victory in the five-match T20I series against Australia and levelled it 1-1 against South Africa in a three-match series. All this while, he's been holding the fort for India in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who has been on the sidelines since suffering an ankle injury during the 2023 World Cup. 

The stylish right handed batter recently lit up the T20 scene by slamming a century against South Africa in the third and final T20I, making history as the first captain to achieve this feat on South African soil. Joining the ranks of Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma, he now boasts four centuries in the T20Is.

Meanwhile, the moniker SKY, short for Suryakumar Yadav, became a household name after he had revealed the backstory and credited a fellow player for the widespread adoption of this name, now more commonly used than his actual name.  

During his tenure with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Gautam Gambhir, the then captain, gave him the nickname 'SKY.' Apparently, Gambhir found Suryakumar Yadav's full name a bit cumbersome and opted for a more concise and catchy alternative. 

Watch the Video here

Here’s what Suryakumar Yadav had said:

“It (the name) came in 2014/15 when I was playing for KKR. That time Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) gave this name because Suryakumar Yadav, he said, was too long for everyone to call so SKY came from there.” 

Suryakumar Yadav will now return home as he has not been included in the ODI squad of Team India following a very underwhelming performance during the ODI World Cup 2023. He will once again return to action for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in January.