Suryakumar Yadav scored 62 off 40 balls to help India beat New Zealand by five wickets in their first T20 match on Wednesday, giving a winning start to the newly appointed captain-coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
India finished on 166-5 in 19.4 overs after winning the toss and making New Zealand bat. New Zealand scored 164-6.
The three-match series marks a new era in Indian cricket after a poor performance at the ICC T20 World Cup. Dravid takes over as coach from Ravi Shastri, while Sharma leads on the field as captain. Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the series, announced before the World Cup that he was standing down as India’s T20 captain at the end of the tournament.
“The ball was coming on nicely to the bat, came on a bit slow later, but (I am) happy to be on the winning side,” said Yadav, who was named man-of-the-match for recording his third T20 half-century.
“I try to bat the same way in the nets and replicate the same in the game,” he continued. “If I get out, I go into the dressing room and think what better I could have done.”
Suryakumar was dropped on 57 by Trent Boult and he thanked his Mumbai Indians teammate for giving perfect birthday gift to his wife. “I would have loved to finish the game but that’s how you learn and move forward. About Trent, It’s my wife’s birthday also and it’s a perfect gift from him,” Suryakumar said.