[Watch] Suryakumar Yadav smacks first ball of the super over for a boundary to seal victory in IND vs SL 3rd T20I
Team India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav needed just one delivery in the super over to seal a 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka in the third and final match of the series in Pallekele on Tuesday. The classy right-handed batter got into position quickly and swatted the ball towards the fine-leg region off Maheesh Theekshana's bowling.
With only three runs required for victory, the Mumbai-born cricketer didn't waste any time to chalk up a boundary. Surya's debut as T20I captain went swimmingly as the Men in Blue secured a 3-0 series win, thanks to a remarkable turnaround in the third match.
Needing 138 for victory, Sri Lanka were cruising and needed 30 runs off as many deliveries with nine wickets in hand.
This is when their meltdown started as the set batters, Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera, threw their wickets away. Suryakumar Yadav bowled the 20th over himself with a run-a-ball required and India forced a super over. Washington Sundar took two wickets in the super over to leave India needing only three runs for victory.
"I told them I've seen such kinds of games" - Suryakumar Yadav reflects on the message to his teammates before Sri Lanka's run-chase
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 33-year-old said he injected belief into his team by reminding them that 137 is a defendable score on the surface.
Suryakumar reckons the players' self-confidence is a massive factor in pulling off such wins. He said:
"140 was a par score on this track. I told them I've seen such kinds of games and I told the boys if you put your heart into it, you can pull it off. The amount of skill they have and self-confidence they have - it makes my job easy. The care for each other they show is unbelievable. They made my job easy and when I go into bat, I have little pressure and I just express myself. I don't want to be the captain. I want to be the leader."
The visiting captain also won the Player of the Series award for his 92 runs and two wickets.