‘Gauti Bhai Gave This Name’: Suryakumar Yadav Reveals The Fascinating Story Behind Nickname Sky

India’s explosive batsman Suryakumar Yadav is currently preparing for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in England. Ahead of the much-anticipated summit clash, Surya displayed his jovial demeanor in a lively rapid-fire session. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on its official Twitter handle, where the dynamic batsman answered some popular questions from the fans. During the session, Suriya shared an interesting anecdote about his nickname, Skye. He revealed that this nickname was given to him by former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir during their association with the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

“It (name) came up in 2014/15 when I was playing for KKR. At that time Gauti Bhai (Gautam Gambhir) gave this name because Suryakumar Yadav said that it was too long to call everyone so Sky came from there,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the video.

When asked about his favorite teammates, Surya said, “There are a lot of them. If you look around, everyone is my best friend. But I enjoy spending time with Ishan (Kishan), Mohammed Siraj, Akshar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin. It’s good to be around them.

Origin of the surname ‘SKY’ _
Favorite city in the UK __
Favorite English Breakfast _

This and much more in rapid-fire with ____ @surya_14kumar ___ – By @rajal arora #TeamIndia , #WTC23 pic.twitter.com/AgKJN7oErg– BCCI (@BCCI) June 2, 2023

The clip went viral in no time and has garnered over 2 lakh views on Twitter. While a section of social media heaped praise on Surya, others wished him well ahead of the WTC final.

This Twitter user thought, “Sky is our everywhere hero.”

Akash is our hero forever – Kaushal Yadav (@kaushal75347324) June 2, 2023

Another person said that Surya now needed to perform in “important matches”.

Great player though yet to perform in important matches beyond IPL – Manish (@ManieshONN) June 2, 2023

One fan applauded Surya’s playing style, but predicted “he will be on the bench in the WTC final.”

Best Sky__

But, he’ll be on the bench #WTCFinal2023 _ – Kishan Kishore (@itskishankishor) June 2, 2023

After a stellar performance in the latest edition of the IPL, Suryakumar Yadav will now have to focus on Test cricket. Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, will take on Australia in the final of the current cycle of WTC. The WTC summit between India and Australia will begin from June 7 at the Kennington Oval in London.

Coming back to the on-field developments, Surya finished his IPL 2023 campaign with an impressive tally of 605 runs. As the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world, he emerged as the highest scorer for Mumbai Indians this season, during which he scored a remarkable century and five half-centuries.

But now Surya should focus on Test cricket. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Team India will face Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC). The final match will be played at The Oval from June 7.