Suryakumar Yadav celebrates his 100 runs throughout the third T20 International match between South Africa and India at DP World Wanderers Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Captain Suryakumar Yadav exploited a bone-dry floor to make a twinkling hundred as India made a aggressive 201 for seven against South Africa in the third and ultimate T20I right here on December 14.
Trailing 0-1 in the sequence, India perforce wanted a win right here, and so they confirmed all that needed depth after South Africa requested them to bat first.
Suryakumar (100 off 56 balls), who made his fourth T20I century, and younger opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (60 off 41 balls) trusted the bounce on the Wanderers pitch to produce some sparkling pictures across the floor, whereas including 112 runs for an entertaining third-wicket alliance.
India had been fast off the block with Shubman Gill (8) and Jaiswal including 29 runs in simply 2.2 overs. But South Africa hit again via left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Maharaj took two wickets in as many balls to eliminate Gill and Tilak Varma as India’s momentum was curtailed momentarily.
Jaiswal and Suryakumar took India to 62 for 2 in the Power Play passage, and it adopted one other interval of lull as they added simply 25 runs in the subsequent 4 overs because the guests reached 87 for two on the half-way mark.
But they broke the barn door quickly and runs started to move in a rush.
Suryakumar, who gave all of the house to his junior accomplice in the early a part of the partnership, quickly took over the function of chief aggressor as soon as the tenth over mark handed.
He pulled these ‘360’ pictures out of the shelf to punish the SA bowlers who didn’t have a lot selection to tame Suryakumar on a benign pitch.
Pacer Andile Phehlukwayo bore the brunt of Suryakumar’s superior talent units in this format.
The Indian skipper hammered Phehlukwayo for 22 runs in the thirteenth over via a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 6, an over in which he additionally introduced up his fifty together with that final most.
Jaiswal too had his personal little moments like a magical pull off pacer Lizaad Williams that gave him six runs over mid-wicket.
But the left-hander’s effort to clear long-off off left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi ended in the palms of Reeza Hendricks.
However, there was no stopping of Suryakumar, who continued to cart the Proteas bowlers round, utilizing nimble footwork and that highly-manipulative wrists.
The 33-year-old quickly fetched a well-deserved hundred in a surprisingly sedate method — with a double off Williams — off 55 balls.
He couldn’t final until the tip, giving a catch to Matthew Breetzke on the fringe of the ropes off Williams.
But by then, he had performed sufficient to carry India to a complete that would give them a sensible shot at a series-levelling win regardless of a slew of wickets on the finish, together with the hit-wicket dismissal of Jitesh Sharma.
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