Dale Steyn praises Suryakumar Yadav for not altering batting template after captainship. Suryakumar Yadav hit a dashing half-century in India’s maiden Twenty20 International against South Africa. The ‘Men in Blue’ were defeated by five wickets using the DLS system.
The first T20I of the three-match series between South Africa and India was rained out on Tuesday, December 12, at Gqeberha, and the hosts won by DLS method with five wickets and seven balls to spare.
Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India for the first time in a home T20I series against Australia, scored a classic first-innings knock. The daring hitter blasted five fours and three sixes to score 56 runs off 36 balls. Former South African quick Dale Steyn commended Suryakumar for not modifying his batting strategy despite taking up the captaincy job for the ‘Men in Blue’.
“We discussed him right after the break. He has a lot of shots and makes it look so effortless. Being a captain may be a hardship at times. “There’s a lot to think about, and it can sometimes change the way you play your game,” Dale Steyn praises after the game in an interview with Star Sports.
“He walked out there at six for two and was still able to strike it for nearly 200.” That demonstrates that he is not going to modify the way he scores runs. He’s not going to modify his strategy. And it appears to be a good thing for India going ahead because you know he’ll always be aggressive and the opposition won’t be able to rush in there and do what they want,” Steyn said.
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After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill both exited without scoring. Suryakumar and Rinku Singh both hit half-centuries to help the tourists reach 180/7 in 19.3 overs before rain suspended play. When play restarted, there was no time for India to bat again, as Rinku was undefeated on 68 off 39 balls.
The Proteas’ new aim was 152 in 15 overs. The Indian bowlers had difficulty gripping the ball because it became moist every time it was struck out down the pitch. South Africa went on to easily pursue the objective, helped to cameos from Reeza Hendricks and Markram. At the end, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Andile Phehlukwayo all contributed. On Thursday, December 14, the third and final T20I will be played in Johannesburg.
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