As India crush South Africa in T20I series opener, Suryakumar Yadav reveals what aided the side

New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav extended his flawless run as India's T20I skipper after the Men in Blue thrashed South Africa in the five-match series opener in Cuttack on Tuesday. All-round India were up to the mark in all the departments as they exhibited a spotless style of play in the first T20I match which totally turned in their favour.

After India lost quite a few wickets batting first with batters chipping in with meager scores, it was returning Hardik Pandya who produced a blistering half-century to set the base for India's triumph in the game with a 175-run score. Hardik exhibited quality stroke play to push India's scoring which gave then an edge in the game as they defended the total with ease.

South Africa faltered big time in the chase as none of their batters was able to make an impact with the side succumbing for a paltry score of 74, their lowest against India in the shortest format. All the bowlers used by skipper Suryakumar made contributions with wickets at regular intervals to complete the match in the 13th over itself. It was the biggest win for India over the Proteas in the shortest format at home.

At the post-match presentation, the skipper revealed what made the difference in the contest and also said that he would like all his players to continue the same in the upcoming matches.

Lauding all the batters and the bowlers and crediting it as an all-round victory, captain Suryakumar Yadav said that it was only the fearless cricket that the team produced in the game which made a stark difference in the outcome of the result. Further commenting, he said that he would like his teammates to continue the same in the future matches and just enjoy their game.

Both the teams will lock horns in the second match of the series in Mullanpur on Thursday.