It took just one series, or rather one match, for Suryakumar Yadav to prove why he was given the responsibility of leading Team India in T20Is ahead of Hardik Pandya after Rohit Sharma’s retirement.
India were in a very tough situation in the third T20I against Sri Lanka, having been restricted to a modest total of 137/9. Asked to bat first, the Men in Blue were tottering at 48/5 at one stage but eventually managed to post a respectable total thanks to vital contributions from the likes of Shubman Gill (39), Riyan Parag (26) and Washington Sundar (25).
In response, Sri Lanka remained in control of the chase for most of the innings and eventually needed just 9 runs in the last two overs. The game looked decided at that stage as not many expected India to even challenge Sri Lanka, let alone win the match.
However, Suryakumar Yadav had not given up yet. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. In the 19th over, he handed the ball to Rinku Singh even though Mohammed Siraj had one over remaining. Siraj had conceded just 11 runs in his first three overs and was expected to get the crucial over.
However, with a well-placed Kusal Perera at the crease, the Indian captain bowled the ball to Rinku, who had never bowled in a T20I match before. The move paid off as Rinku dismissed Perera and Ramesh Mendis and conceded just 3 runs.
Riyan Parag on Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy:
Suryakumar Yadav was not done yet. He sprang another surprise by deciding to bowl the final over when Sri Lanka needed 6 runs. The Indian captain justified his decision by conceding 5 runs and taking 2 wickets as well as the match was tied before the Men in Blue won the Super Over to clinch a victory after the loss.
And it seems that Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy decisions not only surprised the fans but also his teammates. Riyan Parag said that even he expected Siraj to bowl the final over and was shocked by his captain’s decision.
“It was very spontaneous, Rinku bhai bowled the 19th over. I was quite sure that Siraj bhai was going to bowl the last over, but then Surya bhai came in and bowled and made it a Super Over.” said Riyan Parag after the match.
