Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, once again made headlines during the first T20I against Australia at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday, October 29. While his leadership has often been praised, it was his quirky leave to a Josh Hazlewood delivery that caught everyone’s attention this time. This moment instantly went viral on social media and left commentators and fans amused.

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss and elected to bowl first in a match that saw several changes on both sides. Matthew Short was ruled out of the series, paving the way for Josh Philippe’s return to the Australian squad. On the Indian side, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was surprisingly benched in favour of young Delhi pacer Harshit Rana, a move that sparked plenty of chatter among fans.

India’s innings began with promise as Abhishek Sharma looked aggressive at the top, smashing four boundaries in his 14-ball 19 before being dismissed by Nathan Ellis. That brought Suryakumar Yadav to the crease early, and within minutes, he was part of one of the most talked-about moments of the match.

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Facing Hazlewood in the fifth over, Suryakumar encountered a short-pitched ball angling toward the off-stump. In an almost cinematic moment, he ducked low, bending his knees sharply to leave the ball, prompting commentators to joke that it looked like a scene straight out of The Matrix. “Looks like he didn’t mean that! He just froze at the crease,” one commentator quipped, while another added, “Hazlewood looked back at his mark—maybe even he was surprised by that move!”

Facing his second ball of the night, Suryakumar Yadav pulled out a leave even Neo from the Matrix would have been proud of 😱#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/WyAlcVUjrS

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 29, 2025

The match was briefly interrupted by rain, turning it into an 18-over contest with a reduced PowerPlay of 5.2 overs. Despite the stop-start conditions, India looked in fine rhythm, reaching 97/1 in just 9.4 overs before rain halted play again. Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 37 off 20, while Suryakumar was in sublime touch with 39 from 24 balls, including three fours and two sixes.

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While SKY’s recent form has been under the scanner—scoring just 72 runs in six Asia Cup innings—his record in Australian conditions remains formidable. Before this game, he had amassed 239 runs in six T20Is Down Under at an average close to 60 and a strike rate nearing 190. Overall, with 2,670 runs, four centuries, and 21 fifties from 90 matches, Suryakumar continues to be one of India’s most explosive T20 performers, reminding everyone why he’s still the heartbeat of India’s batting lineup.