It was really important to be myself when I went into bat – Suryakumar Yadav highlights key component of his match-defining knock

It was easy pickings for India as they outclassed West Indies without breaking a sweat in a must-win match at Guyana, keeping the series alive. Suryakumar Yadav knitted together a very special innings, smashing 83 off just 44 balls, whacking 10 fours and four sixes while Tilak Varma played the perfect two-to-tango, smashing 49 off 37 balls.

Despite losing a couple of early wickets, India managed to wrest control of the game and push towards the finish line. Surya’s presence in the center allowed India to surge through without a fuss as he dictated the Caribbean bowlers at will.

Recognised as the Player of the Match for his special knock, Yadav opened up at length in the post-match conference about the support that he received from Varma and how they approached the chase.

Talking about his special shots, Surya said, “It was really important to be myself when I went in to bat in the powerplay, that's what the team management also wanted. I have practiced these (ramps and scoops) strokes a lot and I love doing that.”

He then shifted his focus on the partnership with Varma, adding, “We (himself and Tilak) have batted together for a long time, we both understand how each other bats and the way he batted, it gave me a lot of confidence.”

SKY also talked about Varma’s very special knock and said, “It was a great innings from him (Tilak) at the other end. It was running on the back of my mind (that India had never lost three T20Is in a row) but at the same time we spoke in the team meeting, our captain said someone needs to put their hand up and win the match, glad I was able to do that.”