Words and adjectives seem to be falling short when it comes to explaining Suryakumar Yadav’s T20 exploits. The way he has been batting, especially since last year, it appears as if Surya owns the format.
He roared his way to his third T20I century in just six months on Saturday.
Riding on another unbelievable knock, India thumped Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the final game at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot to seal the series 2-1.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India, thanks to Surya’s unbeaten 112 off just 51 balls, India posted a mammoth 228/5. Surya’s knock ensured India had one hand on the trophy as precisely, they batted Sri Lanka out of the game.
In spite of the conditions being extremely batsman-friendly, India’s bowlers managed to bowl better lengths which also cramped Sri Lankan batsmen up for room.
The Sri Lankan quicks who were quite impressive in the previous game in Pune kept over-pitching, while their spinners too continued to err in length and line.
Shubman Gill in Rajkot on Saturday. PTI photo
Not that India’s bowling was exceptional, but their spinners Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal impressed once again, doing a job far better than that of their Sri Lankan counterparts. Even captain Hardik Pandya, after not getting enough with the bat, fared well with the ball (2/30).
The three of them applied the brakes with strikes at regular intervals as the visitors could manage just 137 in 16.4 overs. In any case, their job had already become an arduous one having to deal with the enormous scoreboard pressure, courtesy Surya.
Going into this decider, the focus was mainly on young guns like Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tripathi, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. But it was India’s T20 sensation Surya, whose knock once again made the actual difference.
Among the youngsters, Ishan at the top perished early once again, falling to an away swinger from left-arm quick Madushanka in the match’s first over. But Rahul Tripathi, in his second India appearance, provided the impetus with 35 off just 16 balls.
Tripathi’s knock helped India to a better total in the Powerplay as they reached 53/2, compared to 41/2 and 39/4 in the first two matches. Besides, it did provide some kind of a launchpad as well for Surya, who didn’t have to control his instincts.
With Shubman Gill (46) too not doing anything silly at the other end, Surya took little time to unleash himself in ideal conditions for batting. His 360-degree strokeplay was in full view as even after being off-balance twice, he still could execute the ramp shot to perfection.
Seven boundaries and nine sixes adorned his innings. Timing, placement and wrist-work were the core elements. India would only hope Surya’s wrist-work keeps getting better, at least till the ODI World Cup this year.
