India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that “batter Surya” had disappeared and needed to come back stronger as the T20 World Cup drew near. Surya, who has been completely out of form for the past 14 months, managed just 34 runs in four innings during the South Africa series.
“Good challenging series, we did what we could. Only thing is we couldn’t find Surya the batter, I think he’s missing somewhere. But he’ll come back strong. As a leader, very pleased with how the series went,” Surya said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Even though he is unlikely to remain captain after the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old seemed a little worried despite winning another bilateral T20 series, this time by a 3-1 margin against South Africa.
“The brand of cricket we wanted to play was the same, result is in front of us.”
He saved Jasprit Bumrah’s three overs for the back-10, but he had utilized his three overs during the Asia Cup Powerplay.
“We wanted to bowl Bumrah one over in PP, one in middle post-drinks and then in the end. We were challenged, but this game is about how you come back.”
After winning a crucial match for his country, Player of the Match Hardik Pandya, who hit a 16-ball half-century, was ecstatic.
“I do not play cricket to win Player of The Match. I play cricket to win games. It is a good feeling to contribute to the win. It is good to know that. I told my teammates and partner that I am going to step out the first ball and whack it for a six. Today was the day and had to make the most of the opportunity. It feels good when it comes through. It is quite a satisfying day.”
