IND vs SL 2023: 3 records that Suryakumar Yadav broke during his knock of 112* in the third T20I
Undisputedly the world's best T20I batter at the moment, Suryakumar Yadav continued his merry run with the bat and scored 112* runs off 51 balls in the third T20I against Sri Lanka. His knock propelled India to a victory by 91 runs on Saturday (January 7) at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot.
After opting to bat first on what was a run-friendly surface, India lost opener Ishan Kishan early on. Rahul Tripathi then came up with some fiery strokes before being dismissed for a 16-ball, 35-run cameo.
This led Suryakumar to enter the crease after 5.5 overs. While his partner Shubman Gill struggled to score at a brisk rate, Suryakumar wasted little time getting off the blocks and did what he has become famous for.
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The 32-year-old produced a scintillating knock where he put the Sri Lankan bowlers on the back foot with his magnificent stroke-play.
Maneuvering the ball as per the field, Suryakumar clobbered seven boundaries and as many as 11 lusty maximums during his stay. The duo of Suryakumar and Gill (46 off 36) added 111 runs in just 59 balls with the latter playing a second fiddle.
Suryakumar Yadav led the charge well and scored runs all over the park. The opposition bowlers had no answer to the onslaught.
When spinners pitched it full, he was happy to play the inside-out shots over cover and when the pacers targeted his stumps, he helped the ball sail past behind square for a bunch of sixes.
Owing to his marvellous knock of 112* from just 51 balls, India posted a grand total of 228/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, an all-round bowling display by the Indian team skittled Sri Lanka out for just 137/10 and they bagged the series in a comprehensive manner.
Suryakumar Yadav's match-winning knock broke several records in the shortest format. Let's take a look at three of those records that were shattered during his special knock in the third T20I.
#1 Fastest batter to score 1500 T20I runs (by balls faced)
Suryakumar Yadav reaches 1500 T20I runs in just 843 balls, the fastest of all players.
Ever since his T20I debut in February 2021, Suryakumar has gone from strength to strength and has truly been a consistent performer in the format.
In October 2022, he reached 1000 runs in T20 internationals and has now accumulated more than 1500. He took 42 innings and became the third-fastest Indian (in terms of innings taken) to score 1500 runs in the shortest format.
Interestingly, Suryakumar took just 843 balls to notch up 1500 T20I runs, making him the quickest batter to reach the landmark (in terms of balls faced). He overtook Glenn Maxwell, who took 940 balls to achieve the same milestone for Australia.
#2 Most sixes by a non-opener Indian in a T20I innings
Starting the year right 🏆🇮🇳 https://t.co/Kb46lOALhT
En route to his knock of 112* runs off 51 balls, Suryakumar Yadav struck seven fours and 11 big maximums. His 11 sixes are now the most an Indian non-opening batter has smashed in a single T20I innings.
Three batters, including himself, Virat Kohli, and Yuvraj Singh, have struck seven sixes while batting in the middle-order in a T20I game. But no one has gone on to strike 11 maximums in a T20I fixture.
Apart from this, the Mumbai lad's strike rate of 219.61 in Rajkot is the highest for an Indian batter in a single T20I innings, after batting 50 balls or more. The right-hander surpassed his own record when he struck at a rate of 217.64 during his unbeaten 111-run knock against New Zealand in 2022.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav is now the first player ever to score T20I centuries in three different continents
in just 43 innings.
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A third T20I 💯 in just 43 innings.
Take a bow, Surya!
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Having a habit of piling on the runs wherever he plays, Suryakumar Yadav reached another unique milestone on Saturday.
After scoring his third T20I ton, SKY became the first-ever player to register T20I hundreds in three different continents.
In July 2022, the flamboyant hitter recorded his maiden T20I ton against England in England, before scoring another fantastic century against New Zealand in New Zealand in November 2022.
The 112*-run knock on Saturday was his first T20I century in India. Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav is also now the only batter in T20 international history to score three centuries while not opening the innings.