India’s leader Suryakumar Yadav, who showed his leadership abilities in the first T20 match against Sri Lanka, said he prefers to be known as a leader rather than just a captain. When Sri Lanka’s opening players Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis started scoring heavily in Pallekele, the 214-run target began to look easy for the home team. Sri Lanka quickly reached 84 runs without losing a wicket by the ninth over and seemed ready to ruin the start of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar’s era.
Since India had only five regular bowlers, Suryakumar was running out of choices. In the ninth over, he sent Arshdeep Singh back to the field to try and make a difference.
The young left-handed bowler took out Mendis, who was batting. This didn’t make Sri Lanka change their bold strategy.
But, when Suryakumar brought in Axar Patel during the 15th over, the Sri Lankans had to be more cautious. With the pitch helping spin, Axar did some amazing bowling and got rid of Kusal Perera and the main batter Nissanka, which put the hosts at a disadvantage.
Suryakumar’s leadership was noticed and appreciated by the former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan. Still, Suryakumar aims to be more than just the captain of the Indian T20 team.
“I… I don’t want to be just a captain; I want to be a leader. That’s what I feel is important. It was nice to see so much support here and in this country,” Suryakumar said in a video shared by BCCI on X.
One of the main moments in the game was when Suryakumar gave the ball to Riyan Parag. Although the young player didn’t do well with the bat, he made a significant contribution with his bowling.
He handled the spinning pitch well, chose good spots for his deliveries, and took three wickets while only allowing five runs in his 1.2 overs.
The 33-year-old explained why he gave the ball to Parag at a critical moment in the game.
“Riyan Parag has potential because I’ve watched him bowl in the IPL and during practice. I mentioned at the press conference that he has a unique talent,” Suryakumar said.
India managed to protect their score by holding Sri Lanka to 170. After winning the first match of the series, India secured an unbeatable advantage in the second T20I on Sunday.
