Suryakumar Yadav put on a show with the bat in India’s series-clinching 16-run victory over South Africa in the second T20I in Guwahati on Sunday (October 2).
Batting at No. 4, Suryakumar slammed 61 off 22 balls with 5 fours and as many sixes, helping the hosts to pile up a massive 237/3 on the board.
The right-hander has been in sublime form lately. In the preceding T20I series against Australia at home, he registered scores of 46, 0 and 69 while he played an unbeaten knock of 50* in the first T20I against South Africa.
The best bit about Suryakumar’s knocks is his rate of scoring as he now has a career T20I strike rate of 177.26 after 33 matches.
After the second T20I against South Africa, India skipper Rohit Sharma joked about Suryakumar Yadav's purple patch, saying that he is thinking of not playing him until October 23.
Notably, India will open their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at MCG on October 23.
When Harsha Bhogle asked Rohit what he was doing to help Suryakumar retain his form, the Indian captain replied: “Just thinking not to play him anymore and play him directly on 23rd. He is somebody who wants play the game, he wants to keep going out there and keep doing well. That’s what keeps him happy and we want to keep him happy.”
Commenting on India’s batting display in Guwahati, Rohit said: "All of us came together and said this is what we want. It has given mixed results but we will continue that approach. In the recent past, the focus has been on each individual to come in and do the job, we've moved forward from there."
In reply, the Proteas rode on David Miller’s whirlwind century (106* off 47 balls) to post 221/3 in their allotted 20 overs.
Expressing concern over India’s death bowling, the skipper said: "There is a concern to be honest, as we haven't bowled well. But that is the area where we will be challenged. We do it with the bat too. The expectations are high. It's not a concern but we have to pick ourselves.”
The two teams will play the third and final T20I in Indore on Tuesday (October 4).
