Suryakumar Yadav who shared a magnificent 87-run stand with Tilak Varma in the third T20I to help India get over the line admitted that the way Varma was batting gave him a lot of confidence. Moreover, Surya said that the two of them have batted together for a long time and they understand each other well.
Yadav put on an exhibition and showed why he is the world’s No. 1 ranked T20I batter as he smashed a stunning 83 in the third T20I to help India bounce back in the five-match series. His 44-ball knock comprised 10 fours and four sixes as he carted the West Indies bowlers all around the park.
Surya, who had a couple of low scores in the first two T20Is walked into bat in the very first over as India lost debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal on the fourth ball. He stamped his authority on the first two deliveries as he smacked the first ball for four over midwicket before pulling one over square leg for a maximum.
Surya raced to 36 off 18 balls in the powerplay before his fifty came off just 23 balls. He mellowed down a touch after his half-century and was dismissed 17 short of what would’ve been his fourth T20I hundred. However, the 32-year-old had done more than enough for India to get over the line in their chase of 160.
The Mumbai batter said that he was very happy with the way he went about things. He usually practices the scoops and the 360-degree play a lot in the nets and he tries to replicate that in games.
“I think it was really important to be myself in the powerplay. That’s what the team demands from me. Very happy with the way it went. I practice these strokes a lot and I love doing that. I stick to that and express myself whenever I get the opportunity,”
he was quoted saying in the post-match presentation.
It was Surya’s partnership with Varma which put India in a commanding position. The duo shared 87 runs which came off just 8.2 overs.
Tilak remained unbeaten on 49 but the maturity with which he played was lauded by Surya. He also mentioned how Varma’s batting gave him a lot of confidence.
“I think we’ve [him and Tilak Varma] batted together for a long time now. We both understand how we bat together. It was his day to bat with a little maturity and it gave me a lot of confidence. I told him the way he was batting is giving me confidence to play my own game.”
