Cuttack, December 9
Following his side's win over South Africa in the first T20I, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed happiness with all-rounder Hardik Pandya's performance on return for India and said that scoring 175 at such a surface was "unbelievable".
With an explosive 59* and a wicket, Hardik impressed on return to international cricket, while Jasprit Bumrah also became the second Indian to complete 100 T20I wickets, bundling out SA for 74 in a chase of 176 at Cuttack on Tuesday.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Suryakumar highlighted that in T20Is, there would be days when two or three of them would not have a good day, and that is how T20 cricket goes. He also said that Arshdeep Singh and Bumrah were "perfect bowlers" to start off with.
"I told at the toss that we were 50-50, but very happy to bat first. I mean, absolutely. At 48 for 3, and then from there getting to 175... the way Hardik batted, Axar batted, Tilak batted, and in the end, Jitesh coming in, chipping in and doing his role, I think it was very important. At first, we thought we'd get to 160, but then 175 was unbelievable. I mean, absolutely. See, with 7-8 batters, there will be days when 2-3 batters would not have their day, but then the other 4 batters will cover it up, and they did cover it up today. Maybe in the next game you will see someone else covering it up. That is how T20 cricket goes, and that's how we want everyone to play. We want everyone to be fearless and enjoy their batting."
Elaborating on his team's bowling, Suryakumar said that starting off with Arshdeep and Bumrah was perfect and it was important to take care of Hardik Pandya who had returned from an injury.
"I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers to bowl at the start. The way they were bowling when they won the toss and bowled first, the way the new ball was being bowled by them, I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the better option. But then Hardik coming in later on, coming back from injury, it was important to take care of him as well. And the way he bowled, I am very happy with it," he concluded.
Coming to the match, India posted 175/6 after opting to field first, with Hardik Pandya (59* in 28 balls, with five fours and four sixes), Tilak Varma (26 in 32 balls, with two fours and a six) and Axar Patel (23 in 21 balls, with a six) being amongst the top scorers.
Lungi Ngidi (3/31) was the pick of the bowlers for SA, while Lutho Sipmala (2/38) was also good with the ball.
In the run-chase, SA was never a threat really, with Dewald Brevis (22 in 14 balls, with three fours and a six) offering slight resistance. SA was bundled out for 74 in 12.3 overs, with Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel getting two wickets. Hardik and Shivam Dube got one each.
Hardik took home the 'Player of the Match' award with India 1-0 up in the five-match series.
- ANI
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