India vs New Zealand: 'I'm enjoying my batting, just expressing myself there,' says Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav has said he is "enjoying" his batting as he just goes out there and expresses himself.
Surya said this after India defeated New Zealand in the T20I series on Tuesday. He was named the Player of the Series for finishing as the top scorer in the three-match series with 124 runs, including 111, which marked his second T20I century.
On Tuesday, the third T20I ended in a tie on D/L method because of the rain. That mean, India won the series 1-0 as the opening game was washed out by rain.
"I'm really happy with the way things have gone till now, would have loved a full game here but as Siraj said the weather is not in our hands. The pressure is always there and at the same time I'm enjoying my batting, just going there and expressing myself. Not carrying any baggage out there. The intent and approach will remain the same. We can just go out and express ourselves, would have loved a full game, but that's fine," Suryakumar said after the game in Napier.
India's stand-in captain Hardik Pandya said that the third T20I was a great opportunity to test some of their players.
"We would have liked to win the game by playing the full overs, but it is what it is. At some point, I felt attack is the best defence on this wicket. We know the kind of bowling attacks they have, it was very important to get those 10-15 runs extra even though we lost a couple of wickets. A game like this could have given us an opportunity to test some of the players, but having said that, weather is something we cannot control. I'm going back home, taking my time off and be with my son," added Hardik.
Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Tim Southee stated that the result could have gone either way had rain not interrupted. The BlackCaps batted 19.4 overs and put up 160 runs on the board. In reply, the visitors lost four wickets in nine overs and scored 75 runs.
"It was disappointing even with the bat. We spoke about getting out there and giving everything we could take early wickets. We knew if we can get those wickets, anything could happen, but unfortunately, the weather came in. You don't know until both sides batted on it, would have been an interesting game but hasn't gone the full tilt.
"Little bit of uncertainty around the scoreboard whether it was a tie when the rain came in. Could have gone either way, the way we attacked with the ball or to put them under pressure was pleasing. Nice to be back in some ODI cricket against a quality side like India. Hoping for a good crowd in Auckland," said Southee.
The three-match ODI series between India and New Zealand will go underway on Friday, with the first game at Auckland's Eden Park. The remaining two ODIs are on Sunday (Nov. 27) and Wednesday (Nov. 30) in Hamilton and Christchurch respectively.