Suryakumar Yadav Surpasses Virat Kohli To Attain Unique T20I Record
Suryakumar Yadav was named the Player of the Match in the 2nd T20I against New Zealand. It was the 7th time this year that he got the honour.
Arguably the finest T20 batter in the world at the moment, Suryakumar Yadav registered a breathtaking knock of 111 runs against New Zealand in the second T20I of the 3-match series on Sunday. Suryakumar looked at his absolute best, notching up the 3-digit figure in just 49 balls. The batter was deservedly named the Player of the Match for his heroics. In the process, he also went on to surpass Virat Kohli to attain a unique feat in the shortest format of the game.
It was the 7th time in the history of T20 cricket that Suryakumar was named the Player of the Match for India in a single calendar year. With this honour, Surya went past Kohli who has a total of 6 Player of the Match awards to his name in a single calendar year.
In international cricket, only Sikandar Raza have had as many Player of the Match honours as Suryakumar Yadav (7) in a calendar year. Surya would have the opportunity to surpass Raza's tally in the third and final T20I of the series against the Kiwis on Tuesday.
Speaking of his performance in the match, Surya said that the plan for him and the team was the take the game deep.
“The plan was clear when I went into bat. At the 12th/13th over, we thought about batting deep and getting around 170-175 was a par score. Secret (behind his freak shots) is about the intent and you need to enjoy yourself. It's also about the work you do in the practice sessions. It's a great feeling coming here, having a full game and going 1-0 in the series feels good. I feel that I didn't think too much about what was happening. Just had my gameplan and it worked well. Fantastic crowd here,” he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
In the end, Surya remained unbeaten on 111 off 51 balls.
India Cricket Team
Virat Kohli
New Zealand Cricket Team