Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian cricketer, had an impressive performance in the first T20I match against New Zealand, where he scored a quickfire 47 off 35 balls. Despite India’s 21-run defeat in Ranchi, Suryakumar’s performance was widely praised by fans and experts alike.
His knock in the Ranchi encounter also propelled him to become the fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is for India, surpassing former India all-rounder Suresh Raina and legendary former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Suryakumar currently has 1625 runs to his credit, amassed in 44 innings at a strike rate of 178.76. He also has an impressive record of three centuries and 13 fifties under his belt. In comparison, Dhoni and Raina finished their respective T20I careers with 1617 and 1605 runs respectively. Among the Indian batters, former captain Virat Kohli leads the charts with 4008 runs, followed by Rohit Sharma with 3853 runs and KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan in the third and fourth positions respectively.
Despite the impressive performances of Suryakumar and Washington Sundar, India was unable to secure victory in the match. India captain Hardik Pandya acknowledged that his team ended up giving 25 runs more than the par score at the venue, which had a spin-friendly pitch. He said, “No one thought this wicket would play like that, both teams were surprised but New Zealand played better cricket. The new ball was turning more than the old ball. The way it turned and bounced surprised us but till me and Surya were batting, we thought we would pull it off.”
The 68-run stand off 51 balls for the fourth wicket between Hardik and Suryakumar, and Washington Sundar’s maiden T20I fifty after taking 2/22 with the ball, were not enough to make up for the top-three batters falling in power-play. India ended up 21 runs short, giving New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Featured Image credits: Outlook India
