Virat Kohli looked mesmerized and overwhelmed teammate Suryakumar Yadav as India bombed a 22-ball half-century to help India reach a solid 192/2 in 20 overs with Hong Kong. It was a match against Rohit Sharma and turned out to be a winner. The partners have won by 40 game margins. Suryakumar was unbeaten on 68 off 26 balls and put on an unbeaten partnership of 98 deliveries to give India the wings and start their last five overs. Surya’s innings consists of six fours and a six. Four of them made it to the finals, where he defeated Hong Kong midfielder Aaron Arshad in the round of 16.
As the whole of India celebrated Cyclone Surya Kumar, Kohli loved it the most. Battling him at the other extreme, Kohli has the best seat in the house to enjoy his mate’s hammer and tongs. Surya looked a bit nervous in the last match against Pakistan and was sent to round 18. Last night was a completely different trip. On a quiet surface, Suryakumar fights with skill, grace and dominance, living off the 360-degree compliments showered on him by many. Kohli’s reaction on the other hand said it all and when Suryakumar hit his fourth six in the last over, Kohli came over and wrapped his arms around his partner and almost celebrated as if he had done it. After the knock, Kohli made a special gesture and saluted Suryakumar on his way back after the two batsmen scored a memorable five-run final for Hong Kong. As Kohli walks towards Suryakumar, the camera catches the former India captain pointing towards the dressing room and shouting “Kya Hai Yeh” (who is this guy?)
Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav are all smiles. “He was there to score a sub-98 and he did,” New Zealand star Scott Styris said live.
Suryakumar was adjudged Man of the Match as he took 50 wickets in his career, including the sixth fastest wicket by an Indian player in T20Is. Suryakumar’s 26-run haul in the final is also the second-highest by an Indian in T20Is. After Yuvraj’s six against Stuart Broad, Suryakumar and Rohit have 26 against Hong Kong and New Zealand respectively. After the match, captain Rohit, like Kohli, couldn’t help but marvel at some of Surya’s shots. “Honestly, with the kind of role [Suryakumar] is playing today, words would be short. Every now and then he would get it here. He will go into the field with the confidence that he has and will hit the ball fearlessly and some of the balls he hit today were not on the record,” the Indian captain said.
