The rain-affected first T20I between South Africa and India saw the hosts emerge victorious by five wickets via the DLS method in Gqeberha. While the match was shortened, Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy debut and his impressive batting display caught the attention of former South African speedster, Dale Steyn.

Despite the added responsibility of captaincy, Suryakumar remained true to his aggressive batting style, scoring a swift 56 off 36 balls, including five fours and three sixes. This impressed Steyn, who remarked on the importance of maintaining one’s playing style when assuming leadership.

“He’s got a lot of shots, and he makes it look really easy. Sometimes it’s a burden being a captain. There’s a lot that you have to think of, and it can sometimes change the way in which you play your game,” Dale Steyn said on Star Sports after the match.

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He further praised Suryakumar’s ability to maintain his aggressive approach, stating, “He walked out there at six for two and he was still able to continue striking it for almost 200. That shows you that he’s not going to change the style in which he scores his runs. He’s not going to change the approach.”

He added, “And that looks like a good thing for India going forward because you know that he’s always going to be aggressive and the opposition are not going to be able to run in there and do what they want to do.”

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Despite Suryakumar’s contribution and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls, the rain intervened, leaving India at 180/7 after 19.3 overs. With a revised target of 152 in 15 overs, South Africa chased it down comfortably thanks to key contributions from Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Andile Phehlukwayo.

The series shifts to Johannesburg for the final T20I on Thursday, December 14, with both teams aiming to claim the series victory.