Suryakumar Yadav reveals origin of nickname 'SKY' ahead of 2023 WTC Final

India batter Suryakumar Yadav has revealed the origin of his nickname ‘SKY’, saying the term was coined by former India opener Gautam Gambhir. Suryakumar is a standby player in India’s squad for the World Test Championship Final against Australia.

Speaking to BCCI, Suryakumar said Gambhir coined his nickname ‘SKY’ when he was playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Suryakumar ended IPL 2023 as the leading run-scorer for Mumbai Indians, hitting 605 runs in 16 matches, at an average of 43.21 while striking at 181.14.

“I think it came in 2014/15 when I was playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) gave this name because he thought Suryakumar Yadav was too long, so he came up with SKY,” said Suryakumar.

Suryakumar also revealed that London is his favorite city in the UK, while picking Lord’s as his favorite ground in the country because of its beautiful history. Suryakumar



is currently the number 1 ranked T20I batter in the world and has also broken into India’s Test setup.

“My favorite city in the UK is London and my favorite ground is the Lord’s because of its beautiful history and I remember when I came here for a Test match, it was an amazing feeling,” Suryakumar added.

“My favorite city in the UK is London and my favorite ground is the Lord’s because of its beautiful history and I remember when I came here for a Test match, it was an amazing feeling,” Suryakumar added.

“I think this term has originated from tennis-ball cricket. I see a lot of them when I go back home. It is when you hit the ball right over the wicket-keeper when it’s short right at your head,” said Suryakumar.

India will be looking to get their hands of their first ICC trophy in almost a decade when they take on the Baggy Greens in the WTC Final at the Kennington Oval on June 7.