Suryakumar Yadav said he was in charge of Hardik Pandya as he had just returned from injury and knew the pace bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh would get the job done with the new ball.
India bowled out South Africa for 74
The Men In Blue lost the toss and they were invited to bat first in the T20I series opener at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. India made good use of the conditions and posted a huge score of 175/6 on the board.
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With the ball, the Indian team looked absolutely dominant and they outscored the opposition by 74 in 12.3 overs. Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel bagged two wickets, while Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube picked one wicket each.
Also read: Jasprit Bumrah’s 100th T20I wicket comes off a NO-BALL!! The dismissal of Dewald Brevis leads to controversy
Overall totals under 100 for South Africa in T20Is
74 vs. IND, Cuttack, 2025
87 vs. IND, Rajkot, 2022
89 versus AUS, Johannesburg, 2020
95 versus IND, Johannesburg, 2023
96 versus AUS, Cape Town, 2020
98 versus SL, Colombo (RPS), 2018
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said he was happy with the team’s performance. He stated:
“I said at the toss that we were 50-50, but very happy to bat first. I mean, absolutely. At 48 for 3, and from there to 175… the way Hardik batted, Axar batted, Tilak batted, and finally Jitesh came in, chipped and fulfilled his role, I think it was very important.
You might see someone else cover it up in the next game: Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav further said that not all the batters in the team will perform every day and a special artist will perform. He said:
“At first we thought we were going to hit 160, but then 175 was unbelievable. I mean, absolutely. Look, with 7-8 hitters, there are going to be days where 2-3 hitters are not having their day, but then the other 4 hitters are going to cover it up and they covered it up today.
“Maybe in the next match you’ll see someone else cover it up. That’s how T20 cricket goes, and that’s how we want everyone to play. We want everyone to be fearless and enjoy their batting. India is having a great run.”
I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers to bowl at the start – Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav immediately introduced Hardik Pandya in the 7th over and used Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh with the new ball. Speaking about this decision, he said:
“I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers to bowl in the beginning. The way they bowled when they won the toss and bowled first, the way the new ball was bowled by them, I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the better option. But when Hardik came in later, back from injury, it was important to look after him too. And the way he bowled, I am very happy with it.
“I mean, batting first, 48 for 3 and then scoring about 90-91 runs from overs 7 to 15, and then finishing with 40-44 runs in the last five overs to get to 175… I think it was really quite commendable. The way we bowled, the number of options we had, I think 175 was quite decent.”
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