Suryakumar Yadav, as a captain, doesn’t have a very experienced dressing room at his disposal. But while leading India to a tense win in the first T20I against Australia on Thursday, Surya was “proud” how he and his young teammates responded to a tough challenge.
Surya smashed a 42-ball 80 and shared a 112-run partnership with Ishan Kishan as India chased down Australia’s massive 208/3, but not before some last-over drama which saw the home team lose a bunch of wickets. India ultimately won the game by two wickets in what turned out to be the penultimate ball of the match.
Surya had contributed just 18 runs in the World Cup final against Australia on Sunday as India lost by six wickets on the big stage.
But playing in his favourite format and leading the side in the absence of an injured Hardik Pandya, Surya was menacing, scooping four sixes and hitting nine boundaries on way to overshadowing Josh Inglis’s 50-ball 110 and helping the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Asked to describe his game in one word, “Mr 360 degrees” said, “fearless”.
The skipper also complimented Ishan for helping the team overhaul the huge target. Ishan’s 39-ball 58 following the departure of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck had set the platform for the gutsy chase.
Ishan Kishan after completing his half-century in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. PTI photo
“I think, he (Ishan) helped me really well. For me to be fearless, him staying there and his knock was very important,” Surya, whose strike rate of 190.47 was the key to the chase, told the BCCI.
Finally, Rinku Singh drove India to victory with an unbeaten 22 off 14 deliveries.
“I think he (Rinku) was very calm, though it was a pressure situation. When he came in to bat, he was very calm and the composure which he showed, I think, that was great to see,” Surya said.
On whether there were tense moments in the dressing room after seeing Australia’s 200-plus total on the board, the skipper said: “A little bit. Itna experience nahin hai dressing room mein (there isn’t that much experience in the dressing room) but all the boys were excited.
“When they saw the score on the board, they only said one thing, ‘if we win this game it will be truly enjoyable’.
“Very proud to lead the country and very happy to contribute in my first game as captain. Looking forward to the next game and how it goes,” he added.
With inputs from PTI
