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Team India registered a dominating win over Sri Lanka in the deciding third and final T20 International (T20I) to seal the three-match series 2-1 on Saturday.
Suryakumar Yadav was the star of the night for the hosts as he continued his golden run with the bat, smashing his third T20I century to light up the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Coming in at no.4, the right-handed batter reached the three-figure mark off just 45 deliveries with the help of 6 fours and eight humungous sixes.
Suryakumar also became the first non-opener to hit three T20I centuries and the second-fastest centurion for India after Rohit Sharma, who scored a 35-ball ton back in 2017 against the same opposition in Indore.
Surya showcased a wide array of scintillating shots taking all the Lankan bowlers to the cleaners. The India vice-captain completed his fifty off just 26 balls and then took only 19 deliveries to reach the 100-run mark as the world’s number one batter stayed unbeaten on 112 from 51 deliveries. Apart from SKY, opener Shubman Gill chipped in with a 36-ball 46-run knock.
In response, the Islanders got bundled out for a mere 137, losing the contest by 91 runs. Arshdeep Singh (3/20) picked up three wickets, while Hardik Panya (2/30), Yuzvendra Chahal (2/30) and Umran Malik (2/31) bagged two wickets apiece.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
India seal the T20I series 2️⃣-1️⃣#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/5yAm7bZ4Kc
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) January 7, 2023
𝓢𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵 𝓢𝓾𝓻𝔂𝓪 👏👏
3⃣rd T20I ton for @surya_14kumar & what an outstanding knock this has been 🧨 🧨#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/kM1CEmqw3A
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2023
India seal the series with thumping win in 3rd T20I.#INDvSL Scorecard: https://t.co/kAZ6n13gtV #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/VXLAFUqIJi
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 7, 2023
Saturday special from @surya_14kumar at Rajkot, pure entertainment 👏 #INDvSL
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) January 7, 2023
Unbelievable inning 👏🏻🫡
Maintaining 360 degrees in freezing cold🔥 @surya_14kumar bhai ♥️ pic.twitter.com/9cA58n0Esd— Kuldeep yadav (@imkuldeep18) January 7, 2023
The unbeatable beast is here to conquer the cricket world!
Bow down to the OG #SKY! @surya_14kumar#SuryaKumarYadav #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/52cFyOHtJD— Reema Malhotra (@ReemaMalhotra8) January 7, 2023
That was one insane batting display by @surya_14kumar 😳👏 just ran away with the game! Heads up @OfficialSLC let’s do well in ODIs
— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) January 7, 2023
Well done Team India, brought their A game in the decider 👏🏽 #INDvSL pic.twitter.com/odblDebTBi
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 7, 2023
Most runs for Indian No.6 or lower batters in a men's T20I series:
117 – Axar Patel v SL, 2023
92 – Venkatesh Iyer v WI, 2022
92 – Dinesh Karthik v SA, 2022
89 – Manish Pandey v NZ, 2020
83 – Dinesh Karthik in SL tri-series, 2018Infact, all of Axar's runs came at #7.#INDvSL
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) January 7, 2023
What a knock @surya_14kumar! Time to put him in test cricket! #SKYscraper pic.twitter.com/tvvoRTXEwp
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) January 7, 2023
Wow SKY , I just took a short flight but looks like you’ve flown far higher than me today 😊
Yet again an astounding , gobsmacking knock @surya_14kumar ❤️#INDvSL
— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 7, 2023
Skills, technique and Jigar Surya 💯🤩
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 7, 2023
The incredible SKY of Indian Cricket.
Another extraordinary performance by @surya_14kumar🙌🏻#SuryakumarYadav #INDvsSL #RPSwing pic.twitter.com/qsa4MMukHu— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) January 7, 2023
Wins and Whistles!
The W Combo! 🥳#INDvSL #WhistlePodu 🦁💛
📸 : @BCCI pic.twitter.com/gsuBjkwqc3— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) January 7, 2023
India continues their domination at home in T20I bilaterals, haven't lost a single series in last 4 years.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 7, 2023
And we seal the series!! Great performance by this young Indian team led by @hardikpandya7 💪🏻 Well played everyone! #INDvSL
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) January 7, 2023
A 91-run win and a series victory for India in Rajkot!#INDvSL | 📝Scorecard: https://t.co/v6DELbUa9F pic.twitter.com/xnh2ZFOcB5
— ICC (@ICC) January 7, 2023
Sri Lanka has now played 25 bilateral series across formats against India in India and remains the only country where they haven't beaten the host nation in a bilateral rubber.
40 years and counting…#INDvSL— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) January 7, 2023
A SKY-show, followed by dominating bowling from Arsh, Hardik and Chahal 👌🏼#TeamIndia clinches the T20I series 🏆 😍
Next stop: ODIs 👊#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/RqRcPnobiq
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) January 7, 2023
I have been very fortunate to have seen some great players at the height of their powers. Watching @surya_14kumar over the last year sits comfortably on that list.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 7, 2023
Hardik's reaction to that Surya Six is everyone's reaction to almost every shot that Surya hits. #INDvSL
📸 Hotstar pic.twitter.com/CIXm7Gm9HV
— Jigar Mehta (@jigsactin) January 7, 2023
I never watched @ivivianrichards putting fear and awe in equal measure and sense of haplessness in bowler. Maybe @surya_14kumar just providing some glimpses of how the King used to play .
PS- By no means, I am trying to compare the incomparable Richards with #SuryakumarYadav— Vimal कुमार (@Vimalwa) January 7, 2023
Incredible Surya!!! Mesmerising to the eyes. Unreal stuff #INDvSL
— Unmukt Chand (@UnmuktChand9) January 7, 2023