Last Updated: January 30, 2023, 6:20 PM IST
India batsman Suryakumar Yadav (BCCI Photo)
Suryakumar steered his side home with an unbeaten 26 off 31 balls, including slapping Blair Tickner over mid-off for the winning boundary and level three-match series
Suryakumar Yadav has gained the rapport of a dynamic T20 player; toying around with the opposition bowlers and batting at a higher strike-rate. People have started terming him the ‘Indian 360-degree player’ following the kinds of shots he puts on display. But on Sunday, he played quite a calculative knock when the Men in Blue were chasing a modest but tricky target of 100 runs.
On a pitch which was aiding spinners a lot, New Zealand’s five spinners kept India in check. But Suryakumar and captain Hardik Pandya had an unbeaten 31-run stand off 32 balls to get India over the line in a chase of 100. The former steered his side home with an unbeaten 26 off 31 balls, including slapping Blair Tickner over mid-off for the winning boundary and level three-match series.
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In a conversation with teammates Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav after winning the game, Surya spoke about his knock at length. In the video posted by BCCI, the batter said he was confident in himself staying at the crease till the end and getting the win for India in the last over.
“I was there in the middle with a clear mindset that it’s a tough wicket to play on and it was important for someone to play till last. It was equally important to build small partnerships and adapt to the situations,” Suryakumar told Chahal and Kuldeep.
“I knew this was a totally different wicket than the ones I play freely. I was confident that if I managed to stay till last, I could win the game in the last over as well. When Hardik came in, we had a chat and planned to take the game till last,” he added.
Asked about the pressure of three runs needed off the last two balls, he remarked, “We were confident enough to win the game and Hardik and I were in a conversation that if any one of us gets the big hit, the match is ours. We did not panic and the communication with Hardik was very important.”
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