ENG vs IND | ‘Sky was full of sunshine!’ Suryakumar Yadav oozes class as he becomes fifth Indian to register a T20I hundred

The result did not go in India’s favour, as the visitors missed out on an opportunity to clean-sweep England in the three-match T20I series. However, one man who had the entire Nottingham crowd on its feet was India’s dynamic and stylish batter Suryakumar Yadav.

The 31-year-old needed some stopping on Sunday, as he scored a memorable knock of 117 runs off just 55 balls. Suryakumar Yadav became just the fifth Indian to register a T20I hundred, emulating his teammate Deepak Hooda who achieved the same feat in Ireland.

Rohit Sharma, with four hundreds, Suresh Raina and KL Rahul are the only other Indian batters to have scored a ton in the shortest format of International Cricket.

Chasing a mammoth total of 216 runs, India lost their top three inside the first five overs. Then, Suryakumar Yadav chose to take matters into his own hands and scored runs in all parts of the ground. He smashed 14 boundaries and six maximums before being caught at long-off by Philip Salt.

It was Suryakumar Yadav’s courageous knock that helped India even have a shot at winning the third T20I. He batted at a strike rate of over 200, and it seemed he was just a step or two ahead of the bowlers.

Suryakumar targeted the spinners but did not let his guard down against the pacers either. Despite his best efforts, India eventually fell short by just 17 runs, as English bowlers saved the day for their side. 

This defeat also brings an end to Rohit Sharma’s record unbeaten streak as T20I captain. Suryakumar Yadav has made a strong case for his inclusion in the side as a number four batter for the T20I World Cup.