Suryakumar Yadav equals Virat Kohli's All-Time record beating him by an unimaginable margin

India middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav achieved a massive milestone during the first T20I of the ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka. Suryakumar Yadav equaled modern-day batting legend Virat Kohli's all-time record in nearly half the innings in the shortest format in international cricket.

Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as India's full-time T20I skipper ahead of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Surya guided the team to a commanding 43-run victory during the series opener on Saturday, July 27. This win marks a successful start for new head coach Gautam Gambhir in his first assignment.

The newly appointed T20I captain scored 58 runs off just 26 balls, including eight boundaries and two sixes, as the Men in Blue posted a total of 213/7 in the allotted 20 overs. Rishabh Pant (49), Yashasvi Jaiswal (40), and Shubman Gill (34) chipped in with useful contributions to help the Indian team cross the 200 mark.

Suryakumar Yadav Equals Virat Kohli's Record

Suryakumar Yadav was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. It was his 16th Player of the Match award in the shortest international format. Suryakumar equaled Virat Kohli's record for the most Player of the Match awards in the T20I format.

Virat Kohli retired from T20Is last month with 16 Player of the Match awards. The 35-year-old ended his career with the Player of the Match award in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. The former Indian skipper played 125 T20I matches in his career, but Suryakumar Yadav matched this record in just 69 matches.

Zimbabwe T20I skipper Sikandar Raza is in third place with 15 Player of the Match honors. Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, India skipper Rohit Sharma, and Malaysia's Virandeep Singh each have 14.

Most Player of the Match awards in T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (India) - 16 (in 69 matches)

Virat Kohli (India) - 16 (in 125 matches)

Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) - 15 (in 91 matches)

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) - 14 (in 129 matches)

Rohit Sharma (India) - 14 (in 159 matches)

Suryakumar Yadav debuted in T20Is in 2021 and has since been a key player for Team India. The right-handed batter reached the top spot in the ICC rankings last year. He has scored 2398 runs in 69 T20I matches at an average of 43.60 and a strike rate of 168.75, including four centuries and 20 half-centuries.

Riyan Parag Takes Three Wickets With The Ball

Talking about the match, Sri Lanka seemed poised to chase down the target with 140/1 after 14 overs. The home team needed just 74 runs from 36 deliveries with nine wickets in hand. The Indian bowlers tightened their grip and adapted well to the slow pitch conditions, taking nine wickets for just 30 runs.

Spinners Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, and Riyan Parag ran through the Sri Lankan batting order and collectively claimed six wickets. Arshdeep Singh bagged two wickets and Mohammed Siraj took one. They will be next seen in action during the second T20I match at the same venue on Sunday, July 28.

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