The absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, maverick batter Virat Kohli and stylish willow-wielder KL Rahul didn't make any difference as India continued their domination in the bilateral T20I series. Under Hardik Pandya's leadership, the Men in Blue trounced Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the third T20I at SCA Stadium in Rajkot to win the series 2-1. It was a Suryakumar Yadav masterclass as the swashbuckling batter scored his third T20I century within six months to help India post a mammoth total of 228/5, which ultimately helped India to register their 12th bilateral T20I series win on the trot. The Mumbaikar remained unbeaten on 112 runs off 51 balls with the help of seven fours and nine sixes.
Suryakumar completed his century from just 45 deliveries in the penultimate over, which also was his fastest T20I century. Also, the Mumbaikar became the first non-opener to score three T20I centuries.
After the game, head coach Rahul Dravid interviewed Suryakumar and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the video on its Twitter handle. Dravid, during the interview, affirmed that 'young' Suryakumar Yadav didn't watch him bat.
"It is lovely to have someone here with me who as a young kid growing up, did not watch me bat. And I hope you didn't, I am sure you didn't," Dravid said in the video to which a laughing Suryakumar replied, “I did."
"Surya, exceptional. The form that you have been in - everytime I think I have not seen a better T20 innings, you show us something even better. Of all these innings that you have played over the last year that I have had the privilege of watching and enjoying, can you pick one or two that is the best?" Dravid asked
Watch the video here:
"I enjoyed batting in all the difficult situations. I can't pick any one innings," answered Suryakumar.
"It is actually difficult to pick one, I just enjoyed myself. I am just doing the same things that I did last year. I have said before as well, I just try and enjoy when I go in to bat, express myself as much as possible. In those difficult situations when other teams try and take the game off, I and try and take them on. If it works well for me and the team, I am happy," he added.
India will now lock horns against Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series, starting January 10. Rohit, Virat, Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are all part of India's ODI squad.
