Indian cricket team fans had their hearts racing as they saw T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav bowling the 20th over of the match against Sri Lanka, who needed just 6 runs to win the match. Suryakumar, who had not bowled a single over in the match until that moment, bowled the final over of the 3rd T20I and gave away just 5 runs, forcing the match into Super Over. As Surya’s final-over heroics, with the ball, went viral, fans also hailed head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying a new era has started.
With Ramesh Mendis and Kamindu Mendis in the middle, Sri Lanka only needed 6 runs to chase down the target of 138 runs against India on Tuesday. Suryakumar, however, pulled a rabbit out of his hat. Here's how the over went:
Ball 1: Dot
Ball 2: Kamindu Mendis Out
Ball 3: Maheesh Theekshana Out
Ball 4: 1 Run
Ball 5: 2 Runs
Ball 6: 2 Runs
Game-changing batting
Game-changing bowling @surya_14kumar bhau mann la #SonySportsNetwork#SLvIND#TeamIndia#SuryakumarYadavpic.twitter.com/5G3PESMVY9— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 30, 2024
Many fans on social media also credited Gautam Gambhir, with the former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor being credited with successful bowling experiments made in the team, including the decision to bowl Rinku Singh in the 19th over.
11 batters, 11 bowlers, 1 team: GG ERA pic.twitter.com/IuPLZFczwK
— Ujjawal kumar (@sonuujjawal26) July 30, 2024
The scores were tied, forcing the match into extra-time where Sri Lanka only managed to score 2 runs. India chased down the Super Over target in just one ball, with Suryakumar hitting a boundary on the first ball.
After the game, Suryakumar said that more than his last over, the way Indian batters showed determination after losing 5 wickets for just 48 runs, turned out to be the turning point in the game.
"More than the last over, I feel when we were around 30/4 and 48/5, how the boys showed character in the middle and took the game away from them … I felt 140 was a par score on that track. When we were going in during fielding session I told them, 'I have seen such kind of games. If we put our heart in for one and a half hours, we can pull it off.'
"If you are enjoying hitting 200-220s and winning games, you should enjoy 30/4 and 70/5 as well because that creates balance in your life and that's how you move on and just be humble. The amount of skill they have, the self-confidence that they bring to the table, it makes my job very easy. The positivity they have on the ground and in the dressing room, the care for each other what they show is unbelievable," he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
With India completing a 3-0 series sweep in T20Is, the focus now shifts to the ODI series.