Ishan, Surya’s rock & star

Visakhapatnam, November 24

“Fearless” is how middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav described his hurricane knock in the first T20I against Australia here and said he felt “proud” to lead the country to victory on his captaincy debut.

Suryakumar smashed a 42-ball 80 and shared a 112-run partnership with Ishan Kishan as India chased down Australia’s 208/3 off the penultimate ball of the match on Thursday for a two-wicket victory.

Surya had contributed just 18 runs in the World Cup final against Australia on Sunday as India lost by six wickets on the big stage.

But playing in his favourite format and leading the side in the absence of an injured Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar was menacing, scooping four sixes and hitting nine boundaries on way to overshadowing Josh Inglis’s 50-ball 110 and helping the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The skipper complimented Ishan for helping the team overhaul the huge target. Ishan’s 39-ball 58 following the departure of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for duck had set the platform for the chase.

“I think, he (Ishan) helped me really well. For me to be fearless, him staying there and his knock was very important,” said Suryakumar, whose strike rate of 190.47 was the key to the chase.

Finally, Rinku Singh drove India to victory with an unbeaten 22 off 14 deliveries.

“I think he (Rinku) was very calm, even though it was a pressure situation. When he came in to bat, he was very calm and the composure which he showed, I think, that was great to see,” Suryakumar said.

Nets work

Spending time on the bench during the World Cup meant numerous opportunities for Ishan to work on his game under expert coaches. “During the World Cup, when I wasn’t playing, I practised a lot in the nets. I was constantly talking to the coaches about the game. How to target certain bowlers,” he said.

The 25-year-old reaped the rewards. At the receiving end of his onslaught was leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha, off whom Ishan collected 30 runs off only 10 deliveries.

“Being a lefty against a leg-spinner … when you are chasing 209, you need to target a bowler. I had a chat with Surya that I’m going to take on Sangha,” he said.

“You can’t leave too many runs for the batters at the back. I had to take my chances and I believed in myself,” he added. — PTI

Calm finisher

Rinku Singh credited former captain MS Dhoni for helping him stay calm in crunch situations. “As for my secret to calmness, I had discussions with Mahi (Dhoni) bhai about what he does to stay calm, especially in the last over,” Rinku said.

“He told me to try looking straight (at the bowler),” he said. “Feeling good that we won. I was thinking of doing what I generally do in crunch situations and was trying to stay as calm as possible,” he added.

With a single needed off the final delivery, Sean Abbott was deposited into the stands for a six by Rinku but it turned out to be a no ball. Hence, the six was not counted but only the run off the no ball was considered. “I didn’t realise it was a no ball until I heard it from Axar Patel in the dressing room,” he said.