The Aryavarth Express
Thiruvananthapuram: Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav clinched his sixth Player of the Series (POTS) award in T20 Internationals on Saturday after India sealed a dominant 46-run victory in the fifth and final T20I, winning the series 4–1.
With this achievement, Suryakumar now has the joint second-highest number of Player of the Series awards in T20Is, alongside Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, both with six. He trails only former India skipper Virat Kohli, who leads the list with seven such awards.
The series marked a significant turnaround for Suryakumar ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in February. The Indian skipper overcame a lean patch of 23 innings without a half-century, scoring three fifties in the series and finishing as the leading run-getter with 242 runs at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate exceeding 196.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Suryakumar reflected on his resurgence. “It has been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I just kept doing the same things and stuck to my routines. I knew I was not out of form, just out of runs. Going into the World Cup feeling like this is really special,” he said.
In the fifth T20I, India won the toss and opted to bat first. Early wickets saw Sanju Samson dismissed cheaply and Abhishek Sharma fall after a brisk 30 off 16 balls, leaving India at 48/2. The momentum shifted decisively through a 137-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
Kishan smashed a scintillating 103 off 43 deliveries, including six fours and ten sixes, while Suryakumar contributed a fluent 63 off 30 balls with four boundaries and six maximums. A late cameo from Hardik Pandya, who scored 42 off 17 balls, powered India to a mammoth total of 271/5 in 20 overs.
For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson was the most effective bowler with figures of 2/41, while Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner conceded heavily.
Chasing 272, New Zealand lost Tim Seifert early but threatened a strong comeback through a century partnership between Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra. Allen scored a blistering 80 off 38 balls, while Ravindra added 30 off 17 deliveries. However, India’s bowlers turned the game decisively in the middle overs.
Arshdeep Singh claimed five wickets for 51 runs, while Axar Patel chipped in with three for 33, dismantling the New Zealand middle order. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 225, handing India a comprehensive win.
India head into the T20 World Cup unbeaten in series under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, with the skipper regaining peak form at a crucial time.
Suryakumar Yadav Bags Sixth Player of the Series Award in T20Is
Thiruvananthapuram: Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav clinched his sixth Player of the Series (POTS) award in T20 Internationals on Saturday after India sealed a dominant 46-run victory in the fifth and final T20I, winning the series 4-1.
With this achievement, Suryakumar now has the joint second-highest number of Player of the Series awards in T20Is, alongside Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, both with six. He trails only former India skipper Virat Kohli, who leads the list with seven such awards.
The series marked a significant turnaround for Suryakumar ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in February. The Indian skipper overcame a lean patch of 23 innings without a half-century, scoring three fifties in the series and finishing as the leading run-getter with 242 runs at an average of 80.66 and a strike rate exceeding 196.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Suryakumar reflected on his resurgence. “It has been a long year and a long wait for moments like this. I just kept doing the same things and stuck to my routines. I knew I was not out of form, just out of runs. Going into the World Cup feeling like this is really special,” he said.
In the fifth T20I, India won the toss and opted to bat first. Early wickets saw Sanju Samson dismissed cheaply and Abhishek Sharma fall after a brisk 30 off 16 balls, leaving India at 48/2. The momentum shifted decisively through a 137-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
Kishan smashed a scintillating 103 off 43 deliveries, including six fours and ten sixes, while Suryakumar contributed a fluent 63 off 30 balls with four boundaries and six maximums. A late cameo from Hardik Pandya, who scored 42 off 17 balls, powered India to a mammoth total of 271/5 in 20 overs.
For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson was the most effective bowler with figures of 2/41, while Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner conceded heavily.
Chasing 272, New Zealand lost Tim Seifert early but threatened a strong comeback through a century partnership between Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra. Allen scored a blistering 80 off 38 balls, while Ravindra added 30 off 17 deliveries. However, India’s bowlers turned the game decisively in the middle overs.
Arshdeep Singh claimed five wickets for 51 runs, while Axar Patel chipped in with three for 33, dismantling the New Zealand middle order. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 225, handing India a comprehensive win.
India head into the T20 World Cup unbeaten in series under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, with the skipper regaining peak form at a crucial time.
