Suryakumar Yadav‘s sheer brilliance shone through as he played a pivotal role in India's seven-wicket conquest of West Indies in the third T20I of the five-match series in Guyana on Tuesday, garnering praise and awe from former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
India have defeated West Indies to register a victory in this T20i series.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 8, 2023
Suryakumar Yadav the hero! pic.twitter.com/mbaXVIcxxf
Once India's pursuit got off to a shaky commencement, resulting in the loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal on the fourth ball, it was Yadav who then took the reins. With a series of commanding hits, he made quick work of the West Indies bowling attack, effectively converting the chase into a relaxed endeavor for the visitors.
Yadav made a quickfire 83 off 44 deliveries which helped India surpass the home side’s total of 159 with 13 balls to spare.
What did Kamran Akmal say about Suryakumar Yadav’s performance?
Kamran Akmal took to his YouTube channel to break down Suryakumar Yadav's splendid knock that steered India to victory against West Indies in the third T20I between the two sides.
“When early wickets fell, it was still okay because the senior batters took responsibility and ensured the job was done. Suryakumar Yadav is such a player that when scores runs, he just makes the game one-sided and that's exactly what he did,” the former Pakistan international said.
Kamran Akmal on India’s batting depth
Kamran Akmal also believes that this Indian batting lineup can easily score 200 runs in T20 matches, even without their experienced batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They only need to have the right strategy to get the runs on the board.
“Although they don’t have star batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, this Indian batting line-up can still score 200 runs.”
“They just need to show the same game awareness and ensure that the openers need to utilize the powerplay. When you plan and execute according to the conditions, everything falls into place.”
India stays alive in the series with a crucial win
After losing the first two matches of the series, India required a victory in Guyana to maintain their prospects of clinching the series.
Rovman Powell, the West Indies captain, blazed an unbeaten 40 off just 19 deliveries, propelling the home team to a total of 159 for five. Kuldeep Yadav (3/28) applied the brakes on the run rate during the crucial middle overs, but some late slog hitting from the hosts helped them set a formidable target.
India had a less-than-ideal start to the chase as their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill returned to the pavilion without reaching double figures. Yadav steadied the ship and produced a decisive display that tipped the balance of the match in India’s favor.
Tilak Varma (49 not out off 37) played the supporting role to his senior Mumbai Indians teammate Suryakumar as they built an impressive 87-run partnership. Despite falling just short of his second consecutive fifty in his debut series, Tilak witnessed skipper Hardik Pandya (20 not out off 15) securing the win with a six.
The Indian cricket team is all set to head to Florida, USA, where they are slated to lock horns with West Indies in the last two T20Is. This sets the stage for an exhilarating finale to the series as India aim to turn the series around with two more victories.
