India vs South Africa 1st T20: Suryakumar Yadav likely to equal Virat Kohli’s stunning record

India vs South Africa 1st T20: The world's number one T20 batter, Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead young Team India in the first T20 international against South Africa in Durban. The comprehensive 4-1 series victory against Australia must have provided the new captain with some extra confidence and he would look to lead with the same zeal abroad. Another thing, Suryakumar Yadav is setting his eyes on Virat Kohli's long-standing record.

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India's Mr. 360 degree is just 15 runs away from 2,000 runs in T20 internationals. The Indian skipper will likely cross the benchmark today and with his, he will equal Virat Kohli's record, as both batters achieved the milestone in 56 matches.

The feat is crucial not just because he will stand next to a legendary cricketer but also keeping in mind his batting position, someone needs extraordinary batting in the middle order to have such numbers. Currently, Pakistan's Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan hold the record of achieving the fastest 2,000 runs in T20 in 52 matches, but Suryakumar Yadav comes to bat at lower positions than the three batters.

Around 60% of Suryakumar Yadav's runs in T20 came while batting in the middle order and with a strike rate of around 165.

Hardik Pandya's injury

The selectors brought in Suryakumar Yadav as the skipper of the Indian team after senior players like Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli demanded some time off from the white ball format of the game. The next choice would have been Hardik Pandya, but the all-rounder is still recovering from the ankle injury he suffered during the ICC World Cup 2023.

“The captaincy is a big responsibility and I really enjoyed the T20 series against Australia. I would love to do something similar in South Africa,” Suryakumar Yadav said when asked about replacing Hardik Pandya.

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The absence of Hardik Pandya is also challenging from another perspective as the all-rounder comes as a crucial sixth-baller option. But, Suryakumar Yadav looked confident during the press conference and said, "We do have a sixth-bowling option. There are lots of people to bowl. When the time is right, you will see. Not just six, there could be seven or eight too."