India captain Suryakumar Yadav encouraged his teammates to continue playing fearless cricket and expressed satisfaction with the team’s batting depth, which played a crucial role in their victory against
South Africa in the first T20I on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya delivered an impressive unbeaten 59 off 28 balls, helping India post a total of 175 for six. The team then bowled out South Africa for 74 in 12.3 overs, securing a commanding 101-run win.
“I mentioned at the toss that we were 50:50 but happy to bat. Being at 48 for 3 and then reaching 175 was fantastic. We initially aimed for 160, so 175 was beyond expectations,” Suryakumar said during the post-match presentation.
India had been struggling at 104 for five before making a significant recovery to post a competitive total.
“With 7-8 batters in the line-up, there will be times when others step up. We want everyone to play fearlessly and enjoy their batting,” he added.
Indian bowlers were too hot to handle for a power-packed South African batting lineup. Chasing what appeared to be a below-par total, the tourists were bundled out for 74 in 12.3 overs – their lowest total in T20I history.
Suryakumar deployed six different bowlers and each of them got at least a wicket with Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy picking two scalps each.
Interestingly, Pandya wasn’t used in the Powerplay as has been the case recently.
When asked the reason behind the decision, Suryakumar said, “I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers to bowl at the start. The way they were bowling when they won the toss and bowled first, the way the new ball was being bowled by them, I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the better option.”
Suryakumar indicated that the team didn’t want to throw Pandya into the deep end on return from injury.
“Hardik coming in later on, coming back from injury, it was important to take care of him as well. And the way he bowled, I’m very happy with it,” he said.
