Tilak Varma Supports Suryakumar Yadav Amid T20I Struggles

Tilak Varma Stands by Suryakumar Yadav

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) - Star batsman Tilak Varma has expressed his support for India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently facing challenges in his T20I performance. Varma's remarks followed India's 30-run victory over South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium, securing a 3-1 series win in the five-match T20I series.

This year, Suryakumar Yadav has struggled significantly, accumulating only 218 runs across 21 matches, resulting in a disappointing average of 13.62. Notably, he has yet to score a half-century in T20I cricket this year.

During the post-match press conference, Varma stated, “I advised Suryakumar to settle in and maintain his composure at the crease. I was in conversation with him. If he regains his confidence, everyone knows the caliber he possesses. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find his rhythm today. It just wasn’t his day, but we are all anticipating that one innings. Once he gets that, everyone will recognize how formidable he can be, given his unique skill set.”

India's victory was bolstered by outstanding performances from Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy, leading to a 30-run win and marking India's eighth consecutive T20I series victory since 2023.

Batting first, India set a target of 231 runs, with contributions from Sanju Samson (37), Abhishek Sharma (34), Tilak Varma (73), and Hardik Pandya (63). For South Africa, Corbin Bosch (2/44), George Linde (1/46), and Ottneil Baartman (1/39) were the standout bowlers.

In reply, Quinton de Kock's impressive 65 runs were not enough as South Africa finished at 201/8 in their 20 overs, falling short in this high-scoring match. Varun Chakaravarthy (4/53) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/17) excelled with the ball for India.

Hardik Pandya was awarded Player of the Match for his explosive half-century off just 16 balls.