GQEBERHA (South Africa) : India captain for the South Africa T20I series, Suryakumar Yadav, on Monday accomplished the milestone of crossing 2000 T20I runs, making him the joint-fastest Indian player to reach this landmark.
He achieved this feat during the match against South Africa at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Monday.
Milestone ????
2⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ T20I runs (and going strong ????????) for Suryakumar Yadav! ???? ????
Follow the Match ???? https://t.co/4DtSrebAgI #TeamIndia | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/lK1n7BvpzQ
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 12, 2023
The right-handed batter is level with Virat Kohli for the fastest India player to 2000 T20I runs in 56 innings, while former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and his counterpart Mohammad Rizwan hold the first position on the list with 52 innings.
Suryakumar, who also captains the Indian team, reached 2000 runs in his 56th inning, the same as Kohli, with a six-over midwicket against South African pacer Lizaad Williams.
The right-handed hitter is also the joint-third fastest to 2000 T20I runs, trailing only the Pakistan combo of Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan, who did so in the 52nd inning.
Suryakumar, on the other hand, is the fastest in terms of the number of balls required to reach 2000 T20I runs. The Indian hitter reached the milestone in 1164 balls, breaking Australia’s Aaron Finch’s record of 1283 balls.
Coming to the second T20I between India and South Africa, Proteas captain Aiden Markram won the toss and opted to field first against India. He said that every game is important to fine-tune preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“We are going to bowl first; we have been under the covers for most of the day, so I would assume it would move around a bit. Each game becomes important for us to fine-tune things before the 2024 T20 World Cup; hopefully, we can start well today. From my point of view, it’s about understanding if someone needs a rest. No debuts today,” he said.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said they were happy to bat first.
“Very happy to be here and happy to know there’s some cricket around. We were confused about what to do, but now we are very happy to bat first. It’s an opportunity for everyone playing this game. World Cup is still 5-6 months away. Just enjoy yourself is the message to the team.”
The opening game of the series was abandoned due to rain at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday. The sell-out crowd had to walk back to their homes as the rain gods didn’t allow the coin to be tossed.
India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad was unavailable for selection for the 2nd T20I due to illness.
South Africa (Playing XI): Matthew Breetzke, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Lizaad Williams and Tabraiz Shamsi.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar. (ANI)