Suryakumar Yadav equals Rohit Sharma’s record of most T20I centuries in a year by an Indian

Suryakumar Yadav has equalled opener Rohit Sharma’s record of most T20I centuries (2) in a year by an Indian player.

Yadav smashed an unbeaten 111 off 51 at a tremendous strike rate of 217.65, including seven sixes and 11 boundaries against New Zealand in the second T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Sunday (November 20).

Yadav came to bat when India were 36-1 in the sixth over. He stayed there till the end to guide the Men in Blue to 191-6 in their allotted 20 overs. The right-hander took the New Zealand bowlers to the cleaners, hitting shots everywhere. Yadav had earlier smashed his maiden century against England in July this year.

The explosive batter has amassed 1,151 runs in 30 T20Is this year, including a couple of centuries and ten fifties. He's only behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (1,326) for the most runs in T20Is in a calendar year.

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“A hundred is always special” – Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav was delighted after scoring a quickfire century against New Zealand on Sunday. He said that his hard work in the nets has paid off.

Speaking to Prime Video, he said:

“In T20, a hundred is always special, but at the same time, it was really important for me to bat till the very end. Hardik was telling me to bat till the 18th or 19th over and get to a score of 185 or so. After the end of the 16th over, we had a chat about taking it deep.”

He continued:

“It was important to maximise the last few overs. Have been doing the same things over and over again in the nets, and it's just coming off for me.”

It's worth mentioning that the Mumbaikar scored over 50 runs in the final five overs to ensure that India posted a competitive total against the hosts.

Suryakumar Yadav will next be in action in the third and final T20I against the Kiwis in Napier on Tuesday (November 22). He's also expected to play the ODIs in New Zealand starting November 25.