Suryakumar Yadav started his T20I captaincy career with a fine performance, and he remained in the news, equaling a world record held by Virat Kohli. His impressive debut match saw him lead his team to a comprehensive victory. It was a great way to kickstart his captaincy career.
Suryakumar Yadav: A Record-Breaking Start to Captaincy
The first T20I of the series against Sri Lanka went all possible ways for Suryakumar and his team, as they emerged victorious by 43 runs in the keenly contested game. India posted 213/7 to set a challenging target of 214 runs. SKY played a vital role with the bat. He scored 58 runs off just 26 balls, and his leadership and strategic skills came to the fore in ensuring victory for his side.
This victory was important for Surya as a captain, but he equaled the record of Virat Kohli for the maximum number of Player of the Match awards in T20 Internationals. However, he achieved the feat in only half of the matches compared to Kohli. He took 69 matches to reach 16 awards, while Virat earned the same in 125 matches.
Virat Kohli’s final Player of the Match award came in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Meanwhile, at this moment, Surya will be tied at the top with Kohli. Other notable players with several Player of the Match awards are Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe, Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan, and Rohit Sharma of India.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Stunning Debut
After the match, Yadav showed respect toward the Sri Lankan team and called them good competitors. He did admit that the home team was at it from the word go, though he commended their effort. The captain also pointed out his understanding of the pitch conditions—no dew affecting the game.
At the toss, Charith Asalanka won and elected to bowl first. India made the most of this opportunity to post a challenging total on the board, with handy knocks from Suryakumar, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill. While the hosts’ bowling effort was good, with Matheesha Pathirana of Sri Lanka achieving four wickets, the target set by India finally became beyond their reach.
The chase fell through as SL were all out for 170 runs in 19.2 overs. Pathum Nissanka was brilliant; he scored 79 runs off 48 balls; he was well supported by Kushal Mendis with 45 off 27 balls; but no other batsman in Sri Lanka made any difference in the game.
Looking Ahead
It was their spinner, Riyan Parag, who worked wonders for India—three wickets for just five runs in his short spell. Then, there were key wickets taken by Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and Ravi Bishnoi to see that the chase from Sri Lanka never gained any momentum. The win also meant India took a 1-0 lead in this three-match series against the hosts, setting a positive tone for the rest of the tour. This performance did not only bring out Suryakumar Yadav’s sublime skill and leadership but also the depth and strength of the Indian team in cricket.
This win was special for Suryakumar Yadav, who finally achieved two crucial factors: building momentum as a captain and bringing himself level with Virat Kohli for the highest number of Player of the Match awards in T20 internationals. But while Kohli took 125 matches, Suryakumar did it in a mere 69 matches. This is the most outstanding achievement in new captain’s career, which proves his potential and meteoric rise in the world of cricket.
