India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav introduced the team’s two newest players in his signature style, donning his chef’s hat to explain his prized ingredients. All-rounder Ramandeep Singh and seamer Vijaykumar Vyshak have earned their first India call-ups for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, which begins on Friday (November 8) in Kingsmead, Durban.

Ahead of the first T20I of the series, Suryakumar introduced the team’s two new dishes – Ramandeep and Vijaykumar – in a unique way. Vijaykumar Vyshak has been the rising star of Karnataka in recent years with his stellar performances in both First-class and T20 cricket. The 27-year-old has 42 wickets at an average of 20.88 and economy of 8.29 in 30 T20 matches.

In a video released by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), chef Suryakumar shared the special ingredients for making batter and fast bowler and shared the process of making them.

“Hello friends, today we bring you two special recipes of the cricket field. The first is a fast bowler and the second is a fierce batsman. So let’s make a great fast bowler first. To become a fast bowler you need agility, stamina, courage, strength and a lot of speed. So can you make a fast bowler without this mixture? No, the faster the better. Now let’s add to this the hardening of courage and the mixing of heart and mind. Now cook fitness and patience on low flame, then only you will experience the fun and our fast bowler will be ready,” Suryakumar said in a video released by BCCI.

Further on, India T20I captain Ramandeep Singh revealed the recipe for making a batter like that. Especially, Ramandeep came into limelight after a brilliant display for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) He scored 125 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at an average of 31.25 and a strike rate of 201.61. In his T20 career, the all-rounder scored 544 runs at an average of 24.72 and a strike rate of 170 and also took 16 wickets at an average of 16.06.

Later in the video, Suryakumar shared the ingredients needed to make a good batter, which speaks to Ramandeep’s strengths.

“Now is the time to strike hard and for that we need patience, self-confidence and a cunning mind. First, let’s sprinkle the salt of patience, the spice of footwork and the sauce of concentration. Only the batsman will become perfect when coordination between the bat and the feet is achieved. Then add the dust of confidence and timing. In cricket and in life, all is well if the timing is right. After all, it’s cunning according to taste. So friends, fast bowler and batsman are ready. Add the two to the training furnace and see their magic unfold on the pitch,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vijaykumar and Ramandeep to be given debuts in first T20I On November 8, as India looked to continue their winning streak in T20Is under the leadership of new skipper Suryakumar Yadav.