New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav has emerged as the most prominent T20I player in the last five years. With his flamboyant style and outrageous skills, Surya has captivated the hearts of millions and looks set to continue in the same vein in the coming years.
Having been named India’s captain in the T20I format, he will possibly lead India in the 2026 T20I World Cup scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. It guarantees at least two more years of slam-bang action for the cricket fans.
The story of Surya’s cricketing life is as interesting as his batting. During his early days in Mumbai’s domestic scene, didn’t possess the same level of talent or prolific scoring ability as some of his peers but he had a fearless mindset right from the beginning.
He became famous with some extraordinary knocks on the domestic circuit but he got real fame not as Suryakumar but as SKY.
But before finding out how Surya became SKY, it’s important to know his full name.
What is Suryakumar’s full name?
The full name of Suryakumar Yadav is Suryakumar Ashok Yadav. He keeps his father’s name – Ashok Kumar Yadav – in the middle as a mark of his respect. Interestingly, the name of Surya’s coach is also Ashok. Ashok Swalkar refers to himself as ‘the other Ashok’ in Surya’s life.
How did Surya become SKY?
There is a fascinating story behind Surya’s nickname and it has a direct connection to current India head coach and former Kolkata Knight Riders captain and mentor Gautam Gambhir. Last year, Surya revealed that his nickname was given by Gambhir during his stint with KKR. Gambhir decided to call Surya ‘SKY’ to make it easier to call the cricketer.
“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,” Surya revealed in a video posted by BCCI on Twitter in 2023.
Surya became SKY at KKR but couldn’t fly high with the Kolkata-based franchise. In 55 matches across four seasons at KKR, Surya could only muster 608 runs. In 2018, joined Mumbai Indians and smashed 512 runs in the first season itself to signal what was to come.
How did superstar Indian cricketer and new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav became SKY? Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
