Suryakumar climbed to the No. 2 position in the ICC T20I batting rankings.
In the third T20I of the five-match series against the West Indies in St. Kitts on Tuesday (August 02), India skipper Rohit Sharma experienced an injury scare and had to leave the game in the second over of the visitors' innings.
However, it was Suryakumar Yadav’s sublime batting that eventually took his team over the line in the chase of 165.
Suryakumar ensured that his side didn't suffer from Rohit's absence with a 44-ball 76 that featured 8 boundaries and 4 sixes.
After seeing Rohit walk back to the dressing room in discomfort, Yadav said he wanted to take accountability and bat longer.
"The only thing that was going on in my mind was to keep going on because when I realized Rohit bhai went inside (retired out) so it was important for someone from top three to bat for at least 12-15 overs," he told Ishan Kishan in a chat for bcci.tv.
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Due to this solid performance, the 31-year-old leapfrogged to a career-best No. 2 position in the ICC rankings of T20I batters only next to Pakistan’s Babar Azam.
He had recently scored his first century in the shortest format during a match against England in July. The star batter is aware of the need to shun contentment despite all of the recent success while highlighting the importance of starting a new day with a fresh mindset.
"I like to express myself. I play my shots. I don't try to do something new.
"A big cricketer once told me when you perform well enjoy on that day. But when sun rises next day, forget what you did yesterday because when you go into bat again you have to start from zero. I feel my mindset will be the same (for next match) but at the same time depending on the match situation I will plan," he added.
The Men in Blue are 2-1 up in the series with the last two games scheduled on Saturday (August 06) and Sunday (August 07) in Florida.
(BCCI INPUTS)