Suryakumar Yadav has been a significant force in the heart of the Indian batting unit, playing a string of impressive knocks in the shortest format of the game. His presence has been instrumental in helping India defy England, Australia and South Africa.

He is currently part of the Indian squad that is plying their trade in Australia in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup. His 360-degree batting has grabbed the eyeballs and experts have already started predicting that he can very well be India’s next big thing, not just in T20Is but across all formats of the sport.

In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Suryakumar Yadav spoke at length about his journey, the art of batting that he practices and most importantly the guidance that he has received from his fellow mentors.

Talking about learning from all available sources, Surya said, “I watch videos of any beautiful Test innings played or any nice one-day innings or any nice T20 innings on YouTube because I like to see and learn what people did in those situations, what I can do better when I go in to bat, how I can improvise, how it can help me and my team. The habit started in that year, 2010-11, when I made my debut for Mumbai, and it's still with me.”

He was also an ardent fan of Steve Waugh, especially his domination of Curtly Ambrose in 1994-95. It was Steve’s knock that inspired him to adapt his attacking style of cricket.

He spoke in detail about how that knock stoked his passion, stating, “I used to watch those videos and see what he's [Waugh] doing when he's going in to bat. What's his attitude? What's his intent when he's batting against such crazy fast bowlers, the fastest in the world?

He further added, “Only one word I took from that video was: attack. That is the only thing, and that is how I used to bat when I started my Ranji Trophy career as well. I always felt attack is my best defence. Whatever the situation is, try and put the pressure on the opposition and see what comes your way.”