IPL is a rollercoaster...
IPL is a rollercoaster
The IPL is unpredictable. A match can turn on a catch, a run chase, or a collapse, and that uncertainty is part of what makes it fun to watch.
Suryakumar Yadav
I watched an episode of Breakfast with Champions and learned more about Suryakumar Yadav, or SKY, the person than the player. He is a T20 specialist. This tweet by Virender Sehwag captures the innings well.
When an underdog wins, they win for everybody, because somebody gotta come through that door and break it open and make it possible.
After a 5 km run, I had just finished dinner when I found myself hoping Suryakumar Yadav would reach 100 on the last ball. I wonder whether hearing him talk about his struggles in the interview influenced me. I do not support Mumbai Indians or follow cricket closely. SKY is hardly an underdog: he was the top-ranked T20 batter in the ICC rankings at the time. Still, hearing how he worked through his struggles made me want to root for him.
Rooting the underdog
I enjoy seeing someone exceed expectations, but SKY’s story reminded me that it is possible to root for a person even when they are not an underdog. His account of the work behind his success was enough to make me care about that last ball.