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Surya Kumar Yadav bagged all the limelight during the fourth T20I of the five-match series between India and England at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The right-handed batsman debuted in the second T20I of the series but couldn’t get a chance to show his batting skills. However, in the fourth match, Surya was sent to bat at number three, and he completely dominated English bowlers by smashing a 28-ball half-century.
Surya started the proceedings with a magnificent shot that several fans and cricket experts wouldn’t have expected from a player facing the first ball of his maiden international innings. The Pune-lad came out to bat after Jofra Archer had sent back Rohit Sharma in the 4th over of Indian innings.
Archer, who had dismissed Rohit with a slower ball, bowled a short delivery at an extreme pace to welcome Surya. But it seems the batsman was expecting the short-pitched ball as he positioned himself nicely and went for a ramp hook shot while standing on one leg to send the white leather over the fielder at a deep fine leg for a six.
Here is the video:
https://twitter.com/ChloeAmandaB/status/1372546831259901956
“I knew that Archer would come a little short at me”: Surya on the first ball he faced
Surya went on to score 57 from 31 deliveries, including 6 fours and 3 maximums before the third umpire gave him out in the absence of conclusive evidence.
Riding on Surya’s sensational knock, India posted 185/8 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, England could only manage to reach 177/8, losing the contest by 8 runs.
After the game, Surya, who was named ‘Player of the Match’, spoke about his first ball six and said the experience he earned in the Indian Premier League (IPL) worked in his favour. The 30-year-old said he was expecting Archer to bowl a short delivery.
“My plan was very clear when I went to bat. I have seen him in the last two-three seasons in the IPL, and I’ve also watched all his games in international cricket as well. So whenever a new batsman comes in, what plans he has (I know),” said Surya.
“Obviously, I had my plans as well when I went in to bat. It was a great opportunity for me to bat at No. 3 for India. I knew that Archer would come a little short at me, so I really wanted to execute that and was really happy with the way things went,” he added.
