During the Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on Thursday, a playful exchange took place between Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan and Indian middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav. The friendly banter occurred after Suryakumar skillfully executed a couple of sweeps to neutralise the threat posed by the ace wrist-spinner.
Suryakumar Yadav entered the crease at a critical juncture for India, with Rashid Khan quickly dismissing both Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to put the side under pressure.
Demonstrating his class, the world no.1 T20I batter struck a four and a six off Rashid in the 11th over, compelling the Afghan captain to rethink his strategy. The light-hearted interaction between the two elite T20 cricketers appeared to have taken place immediately following that eventful over.
Ravi Shastri, who was on-air as the replays of the chat were shown, anticipated what Rashid could’ve been telling Suryakumar. “Stop sweeping me, he says,” Shastri says as the camera faces Rashid. The Indian batter also appeared to be replying to Rashid, and Shastri claimed Suryakumar was saying, “It’s not my fault!”
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Suryakumar Yadav produced an exemplary knock under pressure as he remained undeterred by the consistent flow of wickets at the other end, scoring a crucial 53 off just 28 deliveries to steer India to a strong score of 181/8 in 20 overs. He got support from Hardik Pandya (32), whose fireworks following Suryakumar’s wicket helped India reach a dominant total in Barbados.
Earlier in the game, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss and opted to bat.
India unbeaten in tournament so far
Team India enjoyed a stellar start to the 2024 edition, having registered victories in three matches while one was washed out in Lauderhill. India rolled past Ireland by 8 wickets in their opener and then defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in a dramatic finish, defeating Babar Azam’s men by six runs.
India, then, sealed a place in the Super Eight with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over hosts United States, who also qualified from the group.
