4th T20I: Suryakumar Yadav praises half-centurions Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube
What's the story
Indian cricket team captain, Suryakumar Yadav, praised Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for their brilliant show in the fourth T20I against England.
Despite a difficult start with three wickets falling in one over to Saqib Mahmood, Yadav praised the duo's positivity and experience that guided the team to victory.
The match was held on Friday in Pune, where India won by 15 runs. With this win, India also sealed the five-match series 3-1.
Match turnaround
Pandya, Dube's partnership rescues India from early setback
Mahmood's early onslaught left India reeling at 12/3 after sending Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar back.
Things worsened as Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh were also sent back, leaving the score at 79/5 before the 11th over.
However, Pandya and Dube turned the tide with a crucial 87-run partnership.
They both scored 53 runs off just 30 and 34 balls respectively, guiding India to a competitive 181/9.
Captain's perspective
Yadav hails team's resilience in post-match presentation
In the post-match presentation, Yadav lauded his team's resilience and the crowd's support.
He said, "Top effort from everyone, and the great crowd from start till the end."
He then admitted stating, "Three wickets in one over was too much".
The skipper then lauded Pandya and Dube's mentality and experience saying, "But the positivity, and the way Dube and Pandya showed their experience in the middle was great."
Notably, this victory was India's 17th consecutive home T20I series win.
Game changer
Rana's spell helps India defend total against England
Despite a strong start from England, who were 62/0 before the last ball of the second innings powerplay, India managed to regain control.
A wicket on the last ball of the sixth over and two more in subsequent overs shifted momentum in India's favor.
Debutant Harshit Rana, who came in as a concussion substitute for Dube, delivered an impressive spell of 3/33 that played a crucial role in defending the total.
Future outlook
Yadav expresses confidence in team's direction
Yadav was pleased with how the team was playing and where it was headed. He said, "I'm happy, I think we're moving in the right direction."
He also disclosed his plan stating, "I always knew post-powerplay, [overs] 7-10 there was a time we could control the game."
Although England started strong, wickets from Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel brought the game back in India's favor.
Harry Brook kept England afloat with a half-century but was ultimately dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy.