Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, India defeted West Indies in the third T20I to reduce the deficit, ahead of this weekend's double-header in Lauderhill, California. Chasing a target of 160, the visitors brushed off the early dismissals of openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill to win the game by seven wickets. Suryakumar Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief, smashing 83 off just 44 balls, while Tilak Varma maintained his dream run in international cricket, hitting an unbeaten 49 off 37 balls.
After the match, Suryakumar and Tilak gathered for a candid chat, where the two discussed about each other's knock.
Tilak revealed that Suryakumar wore a wrist band as he walked out to bat, with a special message on it.
"Powerplay me thoda time lekar khelna hai (Give yourself time during the Powerplay)," Tilak revealed the message in a video uploaded by BCCI.
Responding to the same, Suryakumar passed the vibe check by saying that he bluffed himself by not following the message.
"Sometimes, you have to play bluff with yourself. Aaj maine khud ko ullu bana diya (I tricked myself today)! I thought I would take time and peak slowly. But then I realised I would play to the team's requirement, and don't do anything different. I did the same team, I enjoyed myself, and loved batting with the star (Tilak Varma)," he added.
India still trail West Indies 1-2 in the T20I series with two matches remaining.
The hosts are aiming to win their first series of two or more matches against India in any format since 2016.