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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Salman Khan receives fresh death threat via WhatsApp; FIR registered, security tightened
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has received another death threat, this time via a message sent to the official WhatsApp number of the Worli Traffic Department. The threat warned that the actor would be killed at his Bandra residence and that his car would be blown up with a bomb.
Following the receipt of the message, the Worli Police registered an FIR against the unidentified sender and have initiated efforts to trace the source of the threat.
Security has been tightened around Khan’s home at Galaxy Apartments in Bandra. The actor and his team have yet to release an official statement regarding the incident.
This threat adds to a series of ongoing intimidations targeting the actor, allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. In April 2024, a threat letter was dropped near Khan’s father, Salim Khan, during his morning walk, escalating the security concerns for the family.
In response to the threats, Salman Khan has installed bulletproof glass in his home and limited his public appearances. He has also reduced outdoor shoots and maintains a restricted crew for indoor filming.
On Sunday, the actor was seen at Mumbai airport in a serious mood, accompanied by his bodyguard Shera, who was visibly agitated with the media presence.
Police investigations are underway, and further details are awaited.
