Suryakumar Yadav, a daring middle-order batsman, received praise from Team India captain Hardik Pandya for his outstanding century against Sri Lanka in the third and final T20I at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. Suryakumar once again stepped up to the plate for the group and slammed a 45-ball century to aid India in compiling a massive 228/5 in 20 overs.
SKY pounded the opposition all over the park on a pitch where the majority of batters had trouble getting going. He amassed an unbeaten 112 runs, laced with 7 fours and 9 sixes, which laid the groundwork for India’s sizable victory. After a lacklustre performance in Pune, the Indian bowlers improved, complementing Surya’s innings as India won by 91 runs.
Hardik claimed that given the way Suryakumar is currently batting, even he would be discouraged if he were to bowl to him. “I think he (SKY) has been surprising everyone every innings that he is batting. He is just telling us that batting is so easy. If I am a bowler, I will be disheartened with the shot he plays,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation.
The flamboyant all-arounder claimed that Suryakumar is aware of his goals because he has pursued them throughout his life. “Then SKY did his thing. You don’t need to tell him anything, he knows what to do. If there is any situation where he is unsure, we have our chats but more often than not, he knows what to do,” he added.
Special mention to Rahul Tripathi: Hardik Pandya
Rahul Tripathi’s 16-ball 35-run innings, which came after Ishan Kishan (1) was returned in the first over, was also praised by the captain. “Special mention to Rahul Tripathi – the ball was doing something but he showed great intent,” he added.
Another player who stood out in the three-match series was Axar Patel for his all-round abilities with both bat and ball. “I’m really proud of him (Axar), the way he is batting down the order and hitting. This will give a lot of confidence to him and the team as well,” Hardik said.
The 29-year-old continued by discussing his captaincy motto and remarked on how commendable it was to see India fight throughout the series. “My motto in life as captain has been that I’ll back my players. These are the best T20 cricketers in India and that’s why they are here. There is no space for doubting in this format and we’re backing the players properly. The way we played in the series is pleasing, we didn’t even play 50 per cent of our game in the second game but we still fought well,” he added.
