Suryakumar Yadav has reached par with veteran Virat Kohli achieving this record in T20Is in less than half of the matches played. Suryakumar Yadav, achieved the feat in his first match as full-time India T20I captain in Kandy, during his side’s 43-run win over Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar Yadav was named India’s full-time T20I captain ahead of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Surya led his team to a dominant 43-run victory in the series opener on Saturday, July 27. This win is a good start for new head coach Gautam Gambhir on his first job.
The newly anointed T20I captain blasted 58 runs off just 26 balls, including eight boundaries and two sixes, to help the Men in Blue reach 213/7 in the stipulated 20 overs. Rishabh Pant (49), Yashasvi Jaiswal (40), and Shubman Gill (34) all contributed significantly to the Indian team’s 200-run total.
In reply, Sri Lanka started their difficult run chase on a bright note, with openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis scoring 84 runs in 8.3 overs. However, Arshdeep Singh (2 for 24) broke the stand by dismissing Mendis (45 from 27 balls). Nonetheless, Nissanka continued to blast away, causing problems for the Indian team.
However, Axar Patel (2 for 38) dismissed Nissanka (79 off 48 balls), and the Sri Lankan wickets came in rapid succession. Riyan Parag (3 for 5) seized on the pressure, leading Sri Lanka to 170.
Suryakumar Yadav equals Virat Kohli’s record for Most Player of the Match awards in record time
After the 43-run win, Suryakumar Yadav was named the Player of the Match for his excellent knock of 58 runs in half the balls. It was his 16th Player of the Match award in the shortest international format. Suryakumar equaled Virat Kohli’s record for the most Player of the Match awards in the T20I format.
Virat Kohli retired from T20Is after winning his 16th and last Player of the Match award in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados last month. Kohli, who also captained India in the format, played 125 T20I matches in his career.
However, Suryakumar Yadav has equaled Virat Kohli’s record for most Player of the Match award in T20Is in just 69 matches.
Suryakumar Yadav made his T20I debut in 2021 and has since been a crucial contributor for Team India. The right-handed batsman topped the ICC rankings last year. He has scored 2398 runs in 69 T20Is, with an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 168.75, including four centuries and 20 half-centuries.
Here is the list of most Player of the Match awards in T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (India) – 16 (in 69 matches)
Virat Kohli (India) – 16 (in 125 matches)
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) – 15 (in 91 matches)
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) – 14 (in 129 matches)
Rohit Sharma (India) – 14 (in 159 matches)
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