India may have lost the first T20I to New Zealand by 21 runs in Ranchi, but there were several individual performances that garnered praise from fans and experts. In the stiff chase of 177, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar exhibited a remarkable batting show but unfortunately, could not guide the hosts to victory. The former carried his sublime form in the shortest format of the game, scoring a quickfire 47 off 35 balls. On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder notched up his maiden T20I fifty off just 25 balls.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav made a massive leap following his 47-run knock in the Ranchi encounter. The World No. 1 T20I batter went former India all-rounder Suresh Raina and legendary former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become the fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is for India.
The Mumbai batter currently has 1625 runs to his credit, amassed in 44 innings at a strike rate of 178.76. Surya also has three centuries and 13 fifties under his belt. Dhoni and Raina finished their respective T20I careers with 1617 and 1605 runs respectively.
Among the Indian batters, former captain Virat Kohli leads the charts with 4008 runs. Rohit Sharma stands second with 3853 runs while the likes of KL Rahul (2265 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (1759 runs) hold the third and fourth positions, respectively.
After a 21-run defeat in the T20I series opener at JSCA International Stadium on Friday, India captain Hardik Pandya admitted that they ended up giving 25 runs more than the par score at the venue, which had a spin-friendly pitch.
“No one thought this wicket would play like that, both teams were surprised but New Zealand played better cricket. The new ball was turning more than the old ball. The way it turned and bounced surprised us but till me and Surya were batting, we thought we would pull it off,” said Hardik at the post-match presentation.
ALSO READ | ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Final: All-female Match Officials Appointed for India vs England Clash
Though there was a 68-run stand off 51 balls for the fourth wicket between Hardik and Suryakumar Yadav, followed by Washington Sundar notching up his maiden T20I fifty after taking 2/22 with the ball, it couldn’t make up for the top-three batters falling in power-play and eventually, India ended up 21 runs short, giving New Zealand 1-0 lead in three-match series.
(With Agency Inputs)
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here