Suryakumar's sparkling hundred carries India to 201 for 7 in 3rd T20I against SA
Johannesburg, Dec 14: Captain Suryakumar Yadav exploited a bone-dry surface to make a twinkling hundred as India made a competitive 201 for seven against South Africa in the third and final T20I here on Thursday.
Trailing 0-1 in the series, India perforce needed a win here, and they showed all that necessary intensity after South Africa asked them to bat first.
Suryakumar (100 off 56 balls), who made his fourth T20I century, and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (60 off 41 balls) trusted the bounce on the Wanderers pitch to produce some sparkling shots around the ground, while adding 112 runs for an entertaining third-wicket alliance.
India were quick off the block with Shubman Gill (8) and Jaiswal adding 29 runs in just 2.2 overs. But South Africa hit back through left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Maharaj took two wickets in as many balls to get rid of Gill and Tilak Varma as India's momentum was curtailed momentarily.
Jaiswal and Suryakumar took India to 62 for 2 in the Power Play passage, and it followed another period of lull as they added just 25 runs in the next four overs as the visitors reached 87 for two at the half-way mark.
But they broke the barn door soon and runs began to flow in a rush.
Suryakumar, who gave all the space to his junior partner in the early part of the partnership, soon took over the role of chief aggressor once the tenth over mark passed.
He pulled those 360' shots out of the shelf to punish the SA bowlers who did not have much variety to tame Suryakumar on a benign pitch.
Pacer Andile Phehlukwayo bore the brunt of Suryakumar's awesome skill sets in this format.
The Indian skipper hammered Phehlukwayo for 22 runs in the 13th over through a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 6, an over in which he also brought up his fifty along with that last maximum.
Jaiswal too had his own little moments like a magical pull off pacer Lizaad Williams that gave him six runs over mid-wicket.
But the left-hander's effort to clear long-off off left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi ended in the hands of Reeza Hendricks.
However, there was no stopping of Suryakumar, who continued to cart the Proteas bowlers around, using nimble footwork and that highly-manipulative wrists.
The 33-year-old soon fetched a well-deserved hundred in a surprisingly sedate manner -- with a double off Williams -- off 55 balls.
He could not last till the end, giving a catch to Matthew Breetzke at the edge of the ropes off Williams.
But by then, he had done enough to carry India to a total that could give them a realistic shot at a series-levelling win despite a slew of wickets at the end, including the hit-wicket dismissal of Jitesh Sharma.
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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
