Suryakumar Yadav struck 111 not out off 51 balls to guide India to a 65-run victory over New Zealand in Sunday's second T20I at Bay Oval.

The sides were foiled by rain in the opening game of their three-match series without a ball being bowled, but India deservedly came out on top in Mount Maunganui.

Suryakumar hit seven sixes and 11 fours to further underline why he is the world's top-ranked T20 batter, while Ishan Kishan chipped in with 36 as India's next highest scorer.

The Men in Blue reached 191-6 and New Zealand fell well short as they were skittled for 126 in the 19th over, with skipper Kane Williamson (61) supplying almost half their runs.

Rain at times threatened the contest, with India 50-1 in the seventh over when players were forced off the field, but play resumed and India wasted no time in wrapping things up.

Spinner Deepak Hooda starred with the ball by taking 4-10 off 2.5 overs, including the last three scalps in the space of four balls.

India shake off World Cup blues

India suffered T20 World Cup semi-final disappointment last week, as did opponents New Zealand, but they bounced back with this well-earned victory.

They have now won each of their past four T20Is with New Zealand, including each of the past four, making this their best ever winning run against the Black Caps in the format.

Southee flourish not enough

Tim Southee gave New Zealand some hope when removing skipper Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and Deepak in the final over for his second career hat-trick.

But the damage had already been done by Suryakumar, who raced to a 49-ball hundred en route to 111 in his latest dazzling display with the bat.

Rohit Sharma believes Suryakumar Yadav is getting better and better as the India captain hailed his team-mate's form as "remarkable".

Yadav scored an unbeaten 61 from just 25 deliveries on Sunday against Zimbabwe to help seal a 71-run victory, sealing India's progression to the T20 World Cup semi-finals as Group 2 winners.

India will now face England, who edged out Sri Lanka on Saturday to progress into the last four at the expense of hosts Australia, for a place in the final.

Yadav has been in fine form throughout the tournament. The 32-year-old has scored 225 runs across his five innings, while his knock at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday included 10 boundaries, with four of those beating the rope entirely. 

"What Suryakumar is doing for the team is remarkable, just coming out there, playing that way, taking the pressure off the others," Rohit said.

"We know his ability, and it allows the guy at the other end to take his time.

"The dugout can really be at ease when he bats, and he's shown a lot of composure when he's batted. We expected this from him, and he's gone from strength to strength."

Despite being pleased with India's display against Zimbabwe, Rohit is looking for a step up in their level against England in Adelaide.

"[It was] a very good all-round performance, [which was] something we were looking for," Rohit said.

"We had qualified, but we wanted to come out and play the way we wanted to play, which we achieved.

"We have played a game there, but we need to adjust quickly. England are a good team, and it will be a great contest.

"We should take pride in qualifying, firstly, and if we play that semi-final well, we have another big game as well."

Virat Kohli made another half-century as India took another step towards the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a 56-run victory over Netherlands at the SCG.

Kohli's magnificent unbeaten 82 gave India a dramatic win over Pakistan on Sunday and he followed that up with 62 from 44 balls as India posted 179-2 in Sydney on Thursday.

Captain Rohit Sharma struck 53 from 39 deliveries after being dropped by Tim Pringle on 13 and Suryakumar Yadav (51 not out off 25) also made a half-century to leave the Dutch facing a substantial run chase.

Netherlands never looked like pulling off a huge upset, falling short on 123-9 as they suffered defeat in as many Super 12 matches.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-9) took the wicket of Vikramjit Singh and did not conceded a run in his first two overs, while Axar Patel (2-18), Ravichandran Ashwin (2-21) and Arshdeep Singh (2-37) also impressed with the ball.

Victory for India moved them a point ahead of South Africa, who hammered Bangladesh by 104 runs earlier in the day, at the top of Group 2.

 

Kohli goes back-to-back, Suryakumar shows his class

A Kohli masterclass gave India a sensational victory over Pakistan at the MCG and the former captain carried on where he left off in another classy knock.

He reached his half-century in 37 balls, hitting two sixes and finding the rope three times in another high-quality innings.

Suryakumar, number three in the T20I batting rankings, hit seven fours and reached his half-century by launching the final ball of the innings from Logan van Beek for six.

The brilliance of Bhuvneshwar 

India also demonstrated the potency of their bowling attack and it was Bhuvneshwar who set the tone.

He bowled back-to-back maidens and cleaned up before returning to get rid of captain Scott Edwards in his second spell.

David Miller's stunning century proved to be in vain as India earned a 16-run victory over South Africa to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in their T20I series.

India cruised to an eight-wicket win in the low-scoring opener on Wednesday, but the runs flowed in Guwahati on Sunday as Suryakumar Yadav (61) and KL Rahul (57) helped the hosts post an imposing 237-3.

Suryakumar and Rahul both hit half-centuries in the first match, and they were at it again as South Africa's bowling attack failed to get control of the match, with only Keshav Maharaj (2-23) picking up wickets as the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi struggled.

India's score was their fourth-highest in T20Is, aided by important innings from captain Rohit Sharma (43) and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 49. Yadav's runs, meanwhile, came from just 22 balls, five of which he despatched for six.

South Africa's chase started woefully, as captain Temba Bavuma and Rilee Rossouw were both dismissed for nought by Arshdeep Singh in the second over.

Quinton de Kock and Miller fought to keep South Africa in the game, as former captain De Kock made a snappy 69 not out while Miller hit 106no from 47 balls.

Despite those efforts, the Proteas never truly threatened to chase the challenging total as they lost the series with a game left to play, finishing on 221-3. The third match takes place on Tuesday in Indore.

Record-setting Suryakumar

Suryakumar became the fastest player to reach 1,000 T20I runs in terms of balls faced, as he hit five fours and as many maximums to post his second half-century in a row.

He reached 1,000 T20I runs in 573 balls, 31 fewer than the previous record-holder Glenn Maxwell required, and helped India to set a huge target as the Proteas bowlers were carted to all parts.

Rabada struggles to make a dent

A key member of South Africa's pace attack, Rabada failed to make a significant impact as he finished with figures of 0-57 in his four overs.

The most expensive of the visitors' bowlers, Rabada was hit for 10 boundaries as India stormed to a total out of South Africa's reach.

The West Indies suffered a crushing 59-run defeat to India in Lauderhill on Saturday, falling to an unassailable 1-3 series deficit in the process.

After winning the toss and electing to field first, the hosts felt the wrath of the Indians from the outset with openers Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav speeding to 53 without loss after just 4.4 overs before Sharma was dismissed for a 16-ball 33 including two fours and three sixes.

Yadav’s dismissal for 24 in the sixth over then paired Deepak Hooda and Rishabh Pant who added a further 47 before Hooda’s wicket fell for 21 in the 12th over to leave the score on 108-3.

Pant went on to top-score with 44 before his dismissal in the 15th over. Sanju Samson (30 not out), Axar Patel (20 not out) and Dinesh Karthik (6) then combined to put the finishing touches on a fine effort with the bat for India, ending 191-5 from their 20 overs.

Alzarri Joseph was the pick of the bowlers for the Windies with 2-29 from his four overs.

The hosts then struggled throughout their reply thanks to some excellent bowling by India and some questionable decision-making by the batsmen.

Brandon King (13) and Kyle Mayers (14) both got starts but fell cheaply while captain Nicholas Pooran sprinted to 24 off just eight balls before he was run out after a mix-up with Mayers.

Rovman Powell with a quick 24, Shimron Hetmyer (19) and Jason Holder (13) were the only other batsmen to reach double-figures as the Windies struggled to a paltry 132 all-out after 19.1 overs.

Arshdeep Singh led the way for the Indians with 3-12 from 3.1 overs while he got good support from Avesh Khan (2-17) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-27).

The West Indies have now lost seven consecutive white ball games after going down by 68 runs to India in the first of five T20 Internationals at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Friday.

West Indian captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to field first.

India’s opening pair of returning captain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav got the ball rolling, putting on a partnership of 44 before Yadav was dismissed by Jason Holder for a quick 16-ball 24.

Captain Sharma provided a steady head for the Indians throughout the majority of the innings as he lost partners Shreyas Iyer (0), Rishabh Pant (14) and Hardik Pandya (1) before eventually being dismissed in the 15th over for a top score of 64 to leave the tourists 127-5.

They eventually got up to 190-6 off their 20 overs thanks to cameos from Ravindra Jadeja (16) and Ravichandran Ashwin (13) as well as a brilliant closing effort of 41 from just 19 balls including four fours and two sixes from Dinesh Karthik.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein was brilliant for the hosts with an economical 1-14 from his four overs while opening pacer Obed McCoy took 1-30 from his four.

The West Indian reply got off to a fast start thanks to openers Kyle Mayers and Shamarh Brooks as the pair sped to 22-0 in the second over before Mayers fell for 15 to pacer Arshdeep Singh.

The Windies then tried to gamble, sending Jason Holder up the order to bat at three but this move fell flat as he was next to go, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for a duck.

The innings then ground to a virtual halt as Brooks (20), Nicholas Pooran (18), Rovman Powell (14), Shimron Hetmyer (14), Akeal Hosein (11) and Odean Smith (0) all perished to, eventually, leave the Windies needing 90 off 21 balls for victory.

Keemo Paul and Alzarri Joseph then finished not out on 19 and 5, respectively, to end the innings on 122-8, 68 runs short.

It was a balanced bowling effort by the Indians with Ravichandran Ashwin (2-22 off four overs), Arshdeep Singh (2-24 off four overs) and Ravi Bishnoi (2-26 off four overs) all contributing well.

Jos Buttler hailed an "incredible" knock from India's Suryakumar Yadav after earning his first victory as England captain, with the hosts clinging on for a consolation win in the third T20I at Trent Bridge.

England held on despite Yadav scoring a terrific 117 off 55 balls, falling just one run short of matching India's best ever showing in the format – Rohit Sharma's 118 against Sri Lanka in 2017 – as Buttler's men clawed back some pride at the end of a 2-1 series defeat.

They were indebted to Dawid Malan's 77 as they racked up 215-7 for their highest ever T20I score against India and a first win since Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

While Buttler was delighted with England's response with the bat after they were bowled out for just 148 and 121 in the first two matches of the series, he reserved his highest praise for India star Yadav.

"It was good fun, a fantastic game of cricket, much more like we're used to seeing from our side," Buttler told Sky Sports. "I was really pleased with the response with the bat especially.

"It was an incredible knock from Suryakumar, one of the best hundreds I've seen, and he put us under a lot of pressure.

"The guys bowled really well at the end there. I was pleased to see [Richard] Gleeson back up another performance, CJ [Chris Jordan]'s been excellent all series, so I'm delighted for those guys."

England's Reece Topley was named player of the match after claiming three wickets but was also keen to lavish praise on India's best performer.

"I was speechless at some of the shots, they were unbelievable. He looks a hell of a player," Topley said.

"I've not come across him too much, so I was just in awe most of the time, to be honest."

After watching Yadav come agonisingly close to matching his own record T20I total, Rohit was delighted with the 31-year-old's performance in a thrilling chase.

"It was a fantastic chase, and we are proud of our fight," Rohit said.

"Suryakumar Yadav was magnificent to watch. I have been watching him for a while, and he loves this format, he is unorthodox and has a wide range of shots. 

"He never lets the tempo go. He has grown as player and is going from strength to strength."

Jos Buttler secured the first win of his tenure as England captain as the hosts clung on for a 17-run triumph over India in a thrilling third T20I at Trent Bridge. 

Dawid Malan's rapid 77 fired the much-improved hosts to 215-7, a huge tally which India looked capable of reaching after the outstanding Suryakumar Yadav scored 117 off just 55 balls.

But Reece Topley (3-22) claimed three wickets as England held off India's chase to record a morale-boosting triumph, their first since Eoin Morgan's international retirement.

Looking to recover from comprehensive back-to-back defeats, Buttler's men produced a far better performance with the bat in Nottingham as their skipper's fourth-over dismissal allowed Malan to step up for a terrific 39-ball knock.

Losing Jason Roy (27) and Phil Salt (eight) to Umran Malik and Harshal Patel within the first 10 overs did little to stem the hosts' momentum as Liam Livingstone (42 not out) joined Malan in an 84-run partnership before India belatedly stepped up their attack in the 17th over.

Ravi Bishnoi accounted for Malan and Moeen Ali – the latter for a duck – in rapid fashion before Harry Brook (19) and Chris Jordan (11) fell, but India's bowling display fell a long way short of their scintillating outing at Edgbaston last time out as England still posted a mammoth total.

Indeed, the 13 sixes racked up by England represented their most in a T20I innings against India, and they looked set for a comfortable victory when the tourists made a dreadful start with the bat.

India lost Rishabh Pant (one), Virat Kohli (11) and Rohit Sharma (11) during a desperate first five overs, only for the imperious Yadav to drag them into contention with his first international hundred.

But Yadav's 19th-over dismissal at the hands of Ali slowed India's progress, as England clung on to end an underwhelming series on a high.

Magnificent Malan carries England

Malan's 77 – the fourth-best knock of his T20I career and his best against India – proved crucial as England racked up their highest ever score against India in the format, despite another early exit for Buttler.

Yadav falls short despite terrific haul

Yadav was incredibly unfortunate to end up on the losing side after his outstanding innings, falling just short of leading India to a remarkable chase as well as missing out on making history on an individual level. 

His 117 was just one short of the highest score ever posted by an India player in the format, with Rohit having smashed an almighty 118 off just 43 balls against Sri Lanka in December 2017.

West Indies Captain Kieron Pollard is choosing to focus on the positives coming out of the Indian white-ball tour in which the Caribbean side was swept 3-0 in both the ODI and T20 series.

Speaking after the West Indies lost the final T20 by 17 runs on Sunday, Pollard said the tour was not a complete disaster.

 

“When you look at the games, it was definitely a close series but it just goes to show the fine line in international cricket in terms of the margins for error,” said Pollard.

“I thought the guys really put up their hands and gave a really good account of themselves so I don’t think we should feel disgraced by what has taken place.

"We’re not happy with losing but it is a work in progress. I’m very happy with the performances of some of the guys and we crack on. We have no international white-ball cricket for the next three months so we have time to find out what’s for the future.”

Among the players that Pollard was pleased with was his vice-captain Nicholas Pooran who starred with 184 runs in the three games.

“I thought Nicholas was outstanding. Three fifties in three games is fantastic for him and that’s the consistency that we ask for,” said Pollard.

Pollard’s Mumbai Indians teammate Suryakumar Yadav was India’s best batsman in the series with 107 runs in the three matches. The West Indies captain believes he is someone his batters should try to emulate.

“Surya is a world-class player. I’ve had the opportunity to play a lot of years with him so it’s great to see that he has grown well and is doing great things for himself and great things for India. He’s a 360-degree player and that’s something that our batsmen could try to emulate,” Pollard said.

An important part of a successful T20 outfit is laying out specific roles for specific players and Pollard, while being aware of this, says it’s also important to rotate to give others opportunities.

“I think everyone is clear in their role. Once you get an opportunity to play, you know your role so it’s about getting the experience and understanding what is needed at the international level. We’re not just chopping and changing for the sake of it, guys came in and had specific roles to play. We’re in a position where we have to give guys opportunities,” he said.

 The West Indies next white-ball assignment will a tour of the Netherlands in May-June where they will play three ODIs.

 

 

 

 

West Indies lost their second ODI against India at Ahmedabad by 44 runs on Wednesday and with it the three-match ODI series.

Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been called up to India's squad for the Test series against England after Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill and Avesh Khan were ruled out.

All-rounder Sundar misses out due to finger injury on his bowling hand that will take longer than expected to recover from.

Gill suffered a stress fracture of his shin during the World Test Championship final defeat to New Zealand at the Ageas Bowl and the opening batsman has returned to India.

Paceman Khan fractured his thumb during a warm-up game against a County Select XI last week.

Batsmen Shaw and Yadav - uncapped in the longest format - have been drafted in as replacements, while Prasidh Krishna and Arzan Nagwaswalla are on standby.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been reunited with his team-mates after recovering from coronavirus.

The five-match series starts at Trent Bridge next Wednesday.

 

India squad:  Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

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