Suryakumar Yadav Becomes Best India Captain With This New Milestone

At the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Team India defeated South Africa by 101 runs in the first game of the five-match T20I series. The Proteas were bundled out for just 74 runs in 12.3 overs while trying to chase a target of 176 runs. With 22 runs in 14 balls, Dewald Brevis was the visitors' top run scorer.

Earlier, India scored 175-6 after being asked to bat first. At one point, the Men in Blue were struggling but Hardik Pandya's blistering knock enabled them to a competitive score on a wicket that was not easy to bat on.

Suryakumar Yadav Captaincy Record

His captaincy speaks louder even though his bat isn't speaking right now. As India's captain in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav T20I record is the best among the captains who led India in this format. Currently, he holds the best win percentage among all of them. India have won 28 of their 35 games under Suryakumar's leadership. His victory percentage of 80 is the highest of any Indian skipper in Twenty20 Internationals.

Suryakumar took over India's captaincy after Rohit Sharma's retirement from the format in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup 2024. Since then, the Men in Blue have become a formidable team in this format which loves to play with an aggressive intent. They will be looking to replicate their form next year during the T20 World Cup under Suryakumar Yadav captaincy, where they will be the defending champions.

With this perfect record, Suryakumar Yadav etched his name among the best captains in the world and his team will have plenty of confidence after winning the first game of five-match T20I series against South Africa. After batting first, Team India scored 175 runs at a cost of six wickets. In contrast to some of the flat decks we've seen in T20Is lately, the Cuttack track offered bowlers something.

South Africa chose to bowl first in the hopes that dew could help them. At first, it appeared to be a wise choice when Shubman Gill was dismissed in the first over. Following the vice-captain, the skipper followed as India fell to 17 for two within 2.4 overs. Shortly after, Ngidi took his third wicket, and Jansen made his second catch of the evening, ending Abhishek's stay at the crease.

Tilak and Axar's 30-run stand steadied the ship, but India lacked momentum. As soon as Tilak lost his wicket, Hardik was on the ground and unleashed carnage. Hardik struck a brilliant 59 off 28 balls and took the crucial wicket of David Miller.

South Africa Fail to Chase

Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh dismissed Quinton de Kock for a duck, giving the hosts an ideal start. Following Arshdeep, Axar Patel castled Aiden Markram, one of the best batsmen in the world right now. Dewald Brevis was looking good in the middle when Jasprit Bumrah came back for a second spell.

Bumrah became the second Indian bowler to reach the milestone of 100 T20I wickets, while Dewald Brevis topped South Africa's run-scoring with 22. Only three batters scored in double figures aside from him. This was not enough for South Africa as India wrapped them for just 74 runs and marked a win over the visitors.