Top 5 highest scores by an Indian captain in T20Is ft. Suryakumar Yadav
India responded to their second T20I defeat with a 106-run victory in the third and final game against South Africa to avoid a series defeat. With the opening clash washed out due to inclement weather, the three-match series ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
In the absence of their core players, Suryakumar Yadav captained the side in the last two T20I series against Australia and South Africa. While the Men in Blue bullied the Aussies for a 4-1 series win, they had to battle back and display resilience to level the South African rubber.
Suryakumar was the Player of the Series against South Africa for his incredible batting in both games. He also became only the second Indian captain to record a T20I century in the last game.
He joins a list of Indian captains who have often been among the team's best batters across formats, including in T20Is.
That said, let us look at the top five scores by an Indian captain in T20Is and find out where Suryakumar Yadav's latest century is ranked.
#1 Rohit Sharma - 118 vs Sri Lanka, 2017
It comes as no surprise that arguably India's most destructive white-ball batter, Rohit Sharma, tops this list.
Leading the Indian T20I side in the absence of the then-skipper Virat Kohli for the home series against Sri Lanka, Rohit scored an incredible third double-century during their 3-0 ODI series win.
However, the 36-year-old wasn't finished yet and hammered the Sri Lankan bowlers further in the T20I series that followed.
After missing out during India's 93-run opening game victory, Rohit demolished the Lankans with a sensational 118 off 43 deliveries in the second outing. The knock featured 12 boundaries and 10 maximums, with the champion batter reaching his century off only 35 balls.
It remains the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter and third overall behind David Miller and Kushal Malla.
Rohit's extraordinary display led India to a massive 260/5 in 20 overs as they crushed Sri Lanka by 88 runs to go 2-0 up in the series.
#2 Rohit Sharma - 111* vs West Indies, 2018
Rohit Sharma's T20I dominance continued a year later when he also recorded the second-highest score by an Indian captain.
The West Indies had to suffer on this occasion at the hands of the Indian opener in the T20I series in 2018. Following Test and ODI series win, the Men in Blue were already up 2-0 in the three-match T20I series at home.
Rohit put the exclamation point to the series with a sublime 111* off 61 deliveries to propel India to 195/2 in 20 overs. With eight fours and seven maximums, the skipper made batting look easy on a two-paced Lucknow track.
In reply, the West Indies folded to 124/9, resulting in a 3-0 series whitewash for the hosts.
It was Rohit's fourth T20I double-century and second as captain in addition to his three ODI double-tons.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav - 100 vs South Africa, 2023
Suryakumar Yadav's masterful century in India's latest game against South Africa is also the third-highest score by an Indian batter in T20Is.
Unlike Rohit, Suryakumar scored his century batting in the middle-order and coming in when the side was in trouble. With the side in a must-win situation to avoid a series defeat, the 33-year-old resurrected the Indian innings from 29/2 with a 56-ball 100.
His knock led India to a colossal 201/7 in the final T20I of the series in Johannesburg, a total that proved 106 runs too many for the hosts.
Thanks to this sensational knock, SuryakumR also became only the third batter to record four T20I centuries, with Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell being the others.
Averaging an incredible 45.55 after 60 T20Is, Surya provided further evidence of why he is ranked the No.1 batter in the format.
#4 Virat Kohli - 94* vs West Indies, 2019
While the top three knocks came with India batting first, it is only fair the highest score by an Indian captain in a T20I run chase comes from the 'Chase Master' Virat Kohli.
It was the opening game of the home three-match T20I series against the West Indies. The visitors posted a mammoth 207/5 in 20 overs, thanks to a terrific half-century by Shimron Hetmyer.
In response, Kohli took center stage for the umpteenth time in a run-chase and scored a breathtaking 94* off 50 deliveries. With six fours and as many sixes, the 35-year-old ensured India always stayed ahead of the run rate and completed the task with eight balls to spare.
The game is also fondly remembered for Kohli's response to West Indian pacer Kesrick Williams by imitating the celebration he performed in an earlier series after dismissing the Indian star. Williams bore the brunt of Kohli's onslaught, conceding 60 runs off his 3.4 overs.
#5 Rohit Sharma - 89 vs Bangladesh, 2018
It's that man Rohit Sharma again, making his third appearance on this cherished list.
Leading India again in the absence of Virat Kohli in a tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Rohit produced a gem in the side's final round-robin outing.
Batting first, the veteran batter scored an elegant 89 off 61 deliveries against Bangladesh on a tacky Colombo wicket to steer India to 176/3 in 20 overs. In response, the Tigers could only muster up 159, leading to a 17-run win for the Men in Blue.
Rohit's knock included five fours and as many sixes as he fell in the final ball of the innings, 11 runs short of a well-deserved century.
The icing on the cake for Rohit the skipper came when India won the tournament by defeating Bangladesh in a last-ball thriller in the summit clash, courtesy of Dinesh Karthik's late-game heroics.