Logout Sign In
Reported By:
| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA Web Desk |Updated: Jan 08, 2023, 06:29 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav carried his incredible form into 2023, scoring the third T20I century of his career on Saturday (January 7) in the series finale between India and Sri Lanka at the Saurashtra Cricket Academy (SCA) Stadium in Rajkot.
Suryakumar reached the century mark in 45 balls, the second fastest by an Indian in the format. In addition, he became only the second Indian and the fifth international player in history to score three or more tons in men's T20I cricket.
The cricketing world has heaped accolades on Suryakumar, who continues to dominate the shortest format. Each of the world's top T20I batter's three tons in the format have come in the last six months. His century against Sri Lanka yesterday was his first in international cricket on home soil, having previously reached the three-figure mark in bilateral tours of England and New Zealand last year.
Virat Kohli was among many who took to social media to express their appreciation for Suryakumar's efforts. To express his gratitude for the Indian stand-in vice-captain, the former Indian captain took to Instagram and uploaded a story with a couple of 'fire' and 'clapping' emojis.
Suryakumar came to the dressing room after the match, which India won by 91 runs, and was overjoyed to witness Kohli's compliments for him, stating, 'Kisne daala hei ye story'.
SKY exclaimed, "story pe chalta hei" and "mazza aagaya" when he saw Kohli's special post for him. He then replied via Direct Message (DM), writing, 'Bhau, Bohot saara pyaar. See you soon.'
WATCH:
Raw emotions
A Suryakumar fandom frenzy
A special reply to an Instagram story
Unparalleled love for SKY from his fans as he signs off from Rajkot #TeamIndia | #INDvSL | @surya_14kumar pic.twitter.com/wYuRKMNv1L — BCCI (@BCCI) January 8, 2023
Earlier, after India's 91-run victory against Sri Lanka in the third T20I, Indian skipper Hardik Pandya praised Suryakumar Yadav's stunning innings, adding that the contest was Suryakumar vs Sri Lanka.
“Today, it felt like Sri Lanka vs Surya (Suryakumar). That is why Suryakumar is such an important player for us in white-ball cricket. The way he changes the game, the shots he plays, it just breaks the morale of the bowler. It helps the other batters as well,” said Pandya in a press conference after the match.
Team India will return to play on January 10 against Sri Lanka in the first of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs); the series also marks the return of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli to the Indian team.
