Team India endured a 21-run defeat in the opening T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand on Friday. The side was restricted to 155/9 in the 177-run chase as it faced a top-order collapse, with Ishan Kishan (4), Rahul Tripathi (0), and Shubman Gill (7) departing in quick successon. Suryakumar Yadav (47) and Washington Sundar (50) did revive the Indian innings with explosive knocks but eventually failed to take the hosts to victory in Ranchi.
However, even as the result didn’t go India’s way in the match, Suryakumar did make a big jump in the run-getters’ list with his 34-ball 47 in the 1st T20I. The India batter, who is currently the world no.1 in the shortest format of the game, leapfrogged former India star Suresh Raina and legendary former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to become the fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is.
Suryakumar has 1,625 runs in 44 innings at a staggering strike rate of 178.76; he has three centuries and 13 half-centuries to his name in the format so far. Dhoni, meanwhile, had finished his T20I career with 1,617 runs in 98 matches while Raina had 1,605 runs in 78 games.
