Team India will eye a series win when it takes on England in the third and final ODI of the series against England on Sunday. After dominating the hosts in the first match in Oval (by 10 wickets), the Indians were at the receiving end of a thrashing as they conceded a 100-run loss in the second ODI. The Rohit Sharma-led side, thus, will be aiming to end the tour on a high and ensure it wins both the white-ball series against England.
India had registered a 2-1 series win in T20Is and one of the star performers for the side was Suryakumar Yadav, who famously became the only fifth Indian to score a century in men's T20Is. Suryakumar had scored 117 in the final game of the series and even as India conceded a narrow loss in the game, the right-handed batter was lauded for his brilliant knock that kept the side alive in the run-chase.
Ahead of the final ODI of the series, the 31-year-old, who also plays under Rohit Sharma for Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians, spoke in detail about the support from the India captain during tough times, that eventually kept him motivated.
{{/usCountry}}Ahead of the final ODI of the series, the 31-year-old, who also plays under Rohit Sharma for Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians, spoke in detail about the support from the India captain during tough times, that eventually kept him motivated.
{{/usCountry}}“The camaraderie has been really good. He's been watching me and talking to me since I played domestic cricket in Mumbai. Coming into IPL, I still remember in 2018/19, we used to talk a lot about our game, how I can improve during pressure situations. We had a lot of chat,” Suryakumar said in the pre-match press conference.
“I have really felt him on the ground whenever he is leading. I've learnt a lot from him. I'm happy that he has shown a lot of confidence in me. I still remember, during the second leg of 2021 IPL, I wasn't going through a good patch and he was the one who had a lot of chat with me about it. I was really happy with that, with how the things are going. I want to pay back the confidence by winning the game for the team,” Suryakumar further said.
In the second ODI of the series, Suryakumar was sent to bat at no.5 – a move that left a number of fans and select former cricketers unimpressed – as Rishabh Pant was promoted to fourth position in the batting order. With series on the line, it will be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma and co. stick with the same tactic in Manchester.