Suryakumar Yadav delivered a captivating performance in the second T20I against South Africa, where he not only became the first Indian captain to score a T20I half-century against the Proteas in South Africa but also surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record for the highest score by an Indian captain in a T20I match in South Africa.
Yadav’s innings played a crucial role in India achieving their third-highest T20I total against South Africa, posting 180/7 in Gqeberha on December 12. He came to bat when India faced the challenge of losing both openers without scoring and played an aggressive innings to steer India out of trouble. Throughout his innings, he received valuable support from Tilak Varma and later Rinku Singh, ensuring a steady flow of runs despite the regular fall of wickets.
The captain showcased a dazzling batting performance, dominating the Proteas bowlers and setting a new record on South African turf. The Indian captain played a crucial knock, scoring 56 runs off 36 balls, including 5 fours and 3 sixes.
With this remarkable innings, he surpassed Dhoni to become the highest-scoring Indian captain in a T20I match on South African soil. Before this match, Dhoni held the record with a 45-run knock against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2007.
The 33-year-old captain now shares the distinction of having the most fifty-plus scores against South Africa in T20Is. In just his fifth innings against the Proteas, the Indian batter has amassed four scores of 50 or more.
He received a commendation from Sunil Gavaskar for successfully managing the responsibilities of captaincy without letting it impact his batting.
Yadav achieved another milestone in the evening. He joined India legend Virat Kohli as the joint second-fastest batter to reach 2,000 T20I runs.
Yadav’s flamboyant counterattack provided India with a platform to capitalise on in the remaining overs.
He currently holds the top position as the number one batter in T20I cricket and has already notched up three centuries in T20Is.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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