"He came to my room...": Suryakumar Yadav reveals how Tilak Varma took advantage of friendship to get No.3 spot

The Suryakumar Yadav-led India locked horns with the Aiden Markram-led South Africa in the third T20I of the four-match series on Wednesday, November 13, at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the India National Cricket Team won the third T20I by 11 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series. The next clash between the teams will be hosted by The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15.

Also Read: Watch: Axar Patel takes stupendous catch to dismiss David Miller in 3rd T20I

India clinch 11-run win in a thriller

Suryakumar Yadav-led India lost the toss and were invited to bat first in the match. They were off to a poor start as Sanju Samson bagged his second consecutive duck.

However, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma made sure that the early dismissal of Samson didn't damage India and started building the innings.

The duo looked unstoppable in the middle and smashed the bowlers all over the park. Tilak Varma slammed an unbelievable century while Abhishek Sharma blasted a brilliant fifty as India posted a big total of 219 runs on the board.

Defending the total, India kept chipping in with wickets at regular intervals, but the batting masterclass from Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen completely shifted the momentum towards the Proteas. In the end, however, Indian bowlers held their nerve and took the team to a brilliant victory.

We played the brand of cricket that we wanted to play - Suryakumar Yadav

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Suryakumar Yadav said that he was delighted that they executed their plans very well and got the win. Suryakumar Yadav added said:

"Very happy. What we spoke about in the team meeting today and yesterday, we are happy to execute that in the game. We played the brand of cricket that we wanted to play.

"That is what we have been telling them to do. Similar to what they have been doing in the nets, for their franchises and for their states. Even if they miss out in a few innings, they back their intent and their game. You can say that because of aggression and intent, it is not about just talking."

Suryakumar Yadav also lauded his players for showing a lot of intent with the bat and making his job easier.

"If you step out and take a single, that is what intent is. It has made my job very easier when I watch them bat like that, and I feel we are going in the right direction. The energy and intent from everyone, the energy from everyone. It was the first time that we were six or seven minutes ahead," Suryakumar Yadav added.

Suryakumar Yadav further revealed the conversation he had with Tilak Varma after the second T20I. He mentioned that Varma himself came to him to ask if he could get the No.3 position in the playing XI. Suryakumar Yadav also assured that the youngster would continue to bat at that spot going forward.

"He (Tilak) came to my room at Gqeberha and said give me a chance at No. 3, I want to do well and I said go out there and express yourself. He asked for it and he delivered. Very happy for him and his family," Suryakumar Yadav said.

India had lost the second T20I despite a good fight

Despite putting up a strong fight, Suryakumar Yadav-led India fell short in the second T20I, losing by three wickets with just six balls to spare.

Batting first, India’s lineup struggled to gather momentum and found themselves restricted to 124/6. The centurion of the previous two matches, Sanju Samson's, stay was brief as he was dismissed for a duck by Marco Jansen.

Abhishek Sharma (4 off 5) and Suryakumar Yadav (4 off 9) also departed early, leaving India at 15/3. Tilak Varma showed some resistance with a 20-run knock off 20 balls, while Axar Patel added a valuable 27 from 21 balls before being run out in an unfortunate manner.

Hardik Pandya played a crucial role with an unbeaten 39 off 45 balls, holding the innings together as wickets continued to fall at the other end. However, his decision to deny strike to Arshdeep Singh on multiple occasions meant that India posted fewer runs on the board. Also, Rinku Singh (9 off 11) and Arshdeep Singh (7 off 6) added small contributions, but India finished with a below-par 124.

With the ball, however, India displayed remarkable spirit, especially through Varun Chakravarthy, who took a stunning 5-wicket haul, giving away just 17 runs in his 4 overs. Varun’s spell saw him dismiss key players, including Hendricks (24 off 21), Markram (3 off 8), and Miller (0 off 1), keeping India’s hopes alive. Ravi Bishnoi supported well, adding one wicket for 21 runs in his 4 overs. Arshdeep Singh also chipped in, dismissing Rickelton (13 off 11) early on.

Still, Tristan Stubbs (47* off 41) held his nerve alongside Coetzee (19* off 9) to push the hosts over the line.