Surya kumar Yadavs magnificent century became the focal point of Friday nights match. His unbeaten 103 runs powered Mumbai to a formidable total of 218 and secured their spot in the playoffs with a convincing 27-run victory over Gujarat Titans. Despite an outstanding performance by Rashid Khan, who took 4 wickets for 30 runs and scored an impressive 79 not out off 32 balls, the Titans were unable to recover from the blow.A century of remarkable brilliance was sealed with a six on the final ball, leaving the audience in a state of exhilaration and fatigue. Suryakumar Yadavs batting display was nothing short of majestic, captivating spectators on multiple levels. The sheer excitement of his boundaries, with 11 fours and 6 sixes, electrified the atmosphere. His ability to find unconventional gaps left everyone in awe, and his ability to continuously unveil new facets of his game was nothing short of astounding, as if he possessed the mind of an alchemist, constantly experimenting and evolving.Just when you believe you have witnessed all the strokes in his repertoire, he surprises you with yet another unseen gem. During the match on Friday, he flawlessly executed a stroke that could be dubbed as the on-the-hop back-foot off-drive.Yadav possesses a unique batting style that leaves bowlers helpless and bewildered. He showcased his signature shot multiple times, but it was the six off Alzarri Joseph that epitomised its essence. Despite the ball not being pitched full and angling in from outside the off-stump, he chose to unleash a powerful stroke instead of opting for a conventional mid-wicket shot.Image source: https://tse2.mm.bing.net/thid=OIPHowever, in this instance, Yadav exhibited a different approach. He stayed back, timed the ball on the bounce, and elegantly lifted it over long-off. As he executed the shot, his front elbow pointed skyward, and his front foot hopped slightly after making contact with the ball. The majority of his weight was on the back foot, and the hop was a natural result of transferring his weight onto the shot.While Yadavs creative shot selection and improvisations behind the stumps are captivating, they sometimes overshadow the magnificence of his stroke-making in front of the stumps.He provided a glimpse into this aspect of his gameplay, seemingly wanting to showcase the more traditional side of his skills on a surface that offered true bounce. Here, he had the opportunity to play through the line and on the rise, while also effectively countering the threat posed by Rashid Khan with well-executed sweeps, which proved to be his most fruitful shots (amounting to 23 runs). However, a significant portion of his impressive total of 103 runs came from strokes played in front of the wicket. It was later in the innings that he started focusing on exploiting the areas behind the stumps.His scoring strokes appear to be dictated not by the line of the bowling, the nature of the pitch, or the field placements, but rather by a sense of whimsy. Its as if he woke up one fine morning and decided that today was the day to hit boundaries straight down the ground. Such was his form that it seemed inconsequential where or how the bowlers delivered the ball. Yadav would confidently dispatch them to wherever he pleased. Few batsmen have exhibited such authority against Rashid Khan as Yadav did. He would crouch low, extend his front foot outside the line of the off-stump, and sweep him forcefully and close to the ground behind square. This unsettled Rashid, who had bowled magnificently to claim three wickets that had put Mumbai in disarray. In response, Rashid would alter his length, only for Yadav to respond with cuts, shots down the ground, or cleverly manipulated singles and twos.
