'No nerves, no doubts': Kaif says Indian batsman 'plays his first ball like he already has a 100'

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked four wickets while Deepak Chahar scalped two wickets as India defeated Sri Lanka by 38 runs in the first T20I on Sunday.

Team India put in another dominant display against Sri Lanka on Sunday. India won the first T20 international by 38 runs in Colombo to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. It was yet again Suryakumar Yadav, who was the star with the bat as the 30-year-old scored a fifty off 34 balls to power India to a total of 164 runs.

File Photo of Mohammad Kaif.(Twitter)

Suryakumar has been earning plaudits for his composed display with the bat since he made his debut in international cricket. Suryakumar was the man of the series in the recently-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka.

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Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif lauded the batting of Suryakumar as he said that the middle-order batter plays his 'first ball like he already has a 100 to his name.'

"Surya Kumar Yadav these days plays his first ball like he already has a 100 to his name. No nerves, no doubts, in total control. Always great to see a domestic star do well internationally," Kaif said on Twitter.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked four while Deepak Chahar scalped two wickets as India defeated Sri Lanka by 38 runs in the first T20I on Sunday.

India bundled out Sri Lanka for 126 in the 19th over. Sri Lanka needed 61 in 6 overs and Chahar picked two wickets in his over to dent hosts' all hopes. With wickets falling at regular intervals, Sri Lanka fell 39 runs short of the target.

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Earlier, Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga picked two wickets each as Sri Lanka restricted India to 164/5.

Put in to bat first, India got off to a bad start as debutant Prithvi Shaw departed for a golden duck. Skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Sanju Samson revived visitors' inning as they brought 50 runs inside the powerplay.

However, Sri Lanka again pulled things back as they dismissed Samson in the seventh over. Dhawan then along with Suryakumar Yadav took India's score to the 100-run mark in 12 overs and brought up the fifty-run partnership.

Just when things started looking easy, India lost both Dhawan and Suryakumar in consecutive overs.

In the end, Ishan Kishan smashed 20 runs off 14 balls to help India reach 164 in the allotted 20 overs.

(with ANI inputs)