 "India vs Sri Lanka: Suryakumar Yadav equals Virat Kohli's world record in 56 fewer matches")
In an impressive debut as T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav steered India to a decisive 43-run win over Sri Lanka in the series opener on Saturday, signalling a successful beginning to the Gautam Gambhir era .
Suryakumar’s dazzling innings of 58 off just 26 balls set an aggressive tone, bolstered by a blazing 74-run partnership in the first six overs between openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
The trio were instrumental in propelling India to a robust total of 213/7, putting Sri Lanka under considerable pressure from the outset.
Sri Lanka fought valiantly at the crease, remaining competitive until the 15th over. However, Indian bowlers executed their strategy effectively, adjusting to the slow pitch conditions as the match progressed.
Despite an initial strong position, Sri Lanka’s batting collapsed dramatically, losing seven wickets for a mere 21 runs after reaching 149 for 2, as the Indian bowlers, led by spinners Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, and newcomer Riyan Parag, took charge.
After this commanding display, Suryakumar Yadav was awarded the Player of the Match, tying him with former T20I star Virat Kohli for most such accolades.
Kohli, 35, retired recently from T20Is following India’s World Cup victory, boasting 16 Player of the Match accolades, the last of which came during the 2024 tournament final.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsImpressively, Suryakumar achieved this milestone in 56 fewer matches than Kohli.
Players with the most number of 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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