Indian Skipper Suryakumar Yadav beat legendary MS Dhoni’s record while batting against South Africa in the 2nd T20 International of the three-match T20 series. The 33-year-old became the first Indian captain to score a fifty against South Africa at the away conditions.
Suryakumar Yadav played an enthralling innings against South Africa in the second T20I. The India captain became the first to hit a T20I half-century against the Proteas in South Africa. The Indian 360-degree batter thereby broke Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record for the highest score by an Indian skipper in a T20I match in South Africa.
Suryakumar Yadav’s performance also contributed to India’s third-highest T20I innings total of 180/7 against South Africa on Tuesday. Yadav came in after India had lost both openers for ducks and produced a counter-attacking innings to get the team out of difficult Positions. Suryakumar Yadav alongside young Indian finisher Rinku Singh kept the runs coming despite wickets dropping at regular intervals.
The Mumbai-born batter also passed India legend Virat Kohli to become the joint second-fastest T20I batter with 2000 runs. Yadav is presently the No. 1 batter in T20I cricket, having scored three T20I hundreds in International Cricket.
The Right-handed batter did not have a good ICC World Cup 2023, and he earned a lot of criticism for his performances. The batter has been chastised for not performing well in ODIs, but no one can compete with him in T20Is.
The Mumbaikar was handed the spot in the ODI format of the game after his impressive performance in T20Is. However, he failed to utilize the opportunity to perform for the team but continued his fine form for the Men in Blue in the shorter format of the game and would be a key player for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Coming into the chase South African batters took advantage of the conditions. Reeza Hendricks and skipper Aiden Markram didn’t let any of the Indian bowlers settle as they helped South Africa chase down 152 runs in just 13.5 overs after rain forced a 15-overs-per-side contest.
South Africa overcame India by five wickets (DLS) in a rain-soaked second T20I in Gqeberha. The Proteas now have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the series decider on Thursday.
