In the crucial series decider of the three-match T20I series between the hosts South Africa and the visitors India, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit a century in a crucial moment to set up a path for a memorable series-level victory. With that impressive hundred, Yadav equalled the most T20I centuries record.
Leading the series by 1-0, South African captain Aiden Markram chose to field first at Johannesburg in the third or final game of the series. Although India lost their first two wickets quickly and cheaply, the third wicket partnership between the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Suryakumar Yadav set the strong tone for the visitors.
Jaiswal-Yadav had a 112-run partnership for the third wicket. Although Jaiswal lost his wicket after scoring 60 off 41 balls (six fours and three sixes), skipper Yadav stayed till the final over and slammed the record-equalling fourth T20I century in his career in 55 balls. After scoring 100 runs in 56 balls with the help of seven fours and eight sixes, the Indian captain was caught out in the final over of the innings.
Although only Rinku Singh (14) was the other Indian to reach the double-digit score in that first innings, the visitors still managed to score a strong 201/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, the hosts South Africa were bundled out for only 95 runs in 13.5 overs, as the visitors levelled the series by 1-1 after winning the last game of the three-match T20I series by 106 runs. The Indian left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav recorded a five-wicket haul on his birthday as he finished with impressive bowling figures of 2.5-0-17-5.
Here are some stats of the centurion skipper Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav as a T20I player
Yadav recorded his fourth T20I century. It is the equal record for most centuries in T20I cricket history. After Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma and Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell, Yadav became the third cricketer to record four T20I hundreds.
Yadav completed his four T20I centuries in 57 innings and set a new record for the fastest to hit four T20I centuries. Glenn Maxwell recorded it in 92 T20I innings, and Rohit Sharma recorded it in 140 T20I innings.
Yadav became the first cricketer to record multiple T20I centuries in a calendar year more than once. Before his two T20I hundreds in 2023, the right-handed Indian batter also hit two T20I centuries in 2022.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav - SKY The Powerful Record-Breaker Scored 3rd T20I Century
Suryakumar Yadav as a T20I captain
After Rohit Sharma’s two centuries as a T20I captain (118 vs Sri Lanka during 2017 Indore; 111* vs West Indies during 2018 Lucknow), Yadav became the second Indian T20I captain to smash a century.
Yadav became the first Indian T20I captain to record a T20I century outside India. The previous highest T20I score record by an Indian captain outside India was 89 by Rohit Sharma against Bangladesh at Colombo (RPS) on March 14, 2018.
After Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (122 in 2021 Centurion), Yadav became the second captain to hit a T20I century against South Africa.
