Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant 58 off 26 balls indeed played a pivotal role in India's commanding 43-run victory over Sri Lanka in the opening match of the series. His 58 off just 26 balls set the tone for India after an explosive 74-run partnership between openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
Suryakumar Yadav was named the player of the match, equalling Virat Kohli's record.
Take a look at players with the most Player of the Match awards in T20Is:
Suryakumar Yadav (India) - 16 (in 69 matches)
Virat Kohli (India) - 16 (in 125 matches)
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) - 15 (in 91 matches)
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) - 14 (in 129 matches)
Rohit Sharma (India) - 14 (in 159 matches)
Following the win against Sri Lanka in the first T20I, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed the hosts, saying that they played good cricket from ball one of the match
Bowlers' marvellous performance in the second half of the second innings guided India to victory over Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
"They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo, credit goes to them. We know how the wicket plays in the night. We were fortunate that there was no dew. The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far. Whatever works for the team, we'll take the call," Suryakumar said in the post-match presentation.
Chasing a mammoth total opf 214, the hosts were bundled out for 170 runs in 19.2 overs. With this victory, the Men in Blue lead the three-match series 1-0.
The highest scorer for the side was their opener Pathum Nissanka who played a good innings of 79 runs which came on 48 balls which was laced with seven fours and four sixes.
The wicketkeeper-batter, Kushal Mendis also scored crucial 45 runs from just 27 balls with the help of seven fours and a six. No other batter than these two were able to make the mark in the match.
Recapping the first T20I, Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bowl first.
(With PTI inputs)
