Suryakumar Yadav, arguably the best T20 batter in the world right now, scored an incredible 111 runs against New Zealand in the second T20I of the three-match series on Sunday. Suryakumar displayed his ultimate best performance by reaching the three-digit mark in only 49 balls. For his bravery, the batter was rightfully named the Player of the Match. In the process, he overtook Virat Kohli and accomplished a rare feat in the game’s shortest format.
Suryakumar was chosen as India’s Player of the Match in a single year for the seventh time in T20 cricket history. Surya outperformed Kohli, who previously held the record for most Player of the Match awards in a single year with six. In international cricket, only Sikandar Raza have had as many Player of the Match honours as Suryakumar Yadav (7) in a calendar year. On Tuesday against the Kiwis, in the third and final T20I of the series, Surya would have the chance to surpass Raza’s total.
Speaking about his performance in the game, Surya stated that he and the team intended to play the game thoroughly. “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.
