India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav achieved a major career milestone on Wednesday, becoming the fourth Indian player to feature in 100 or more T20 Internationals. The landmark came during the first T20I against New Zealand.

Impressive Numbers in the Shortest Format

The right-handed batter has scored 2,788 runs in 93 innings at an average of 35.29, including four centuries and 21 half-centuries. Suryakumar is currently India’s third-highest run-scorer in T20I cricket, underlining his importance in the format. At 35, Suryakumar entered an elite list featuring Hardik Pandya (125 T20Is), Virat Kohli (125), and Rohit Sharma (159), the only Indians with more T20I appearances.

Santner Chooses to Bowl First

Earlier, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to field first in the series opener at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. Santner felt conditions could assist bowlers early. “Looks like a good wicket, will see if it does anything early. It’s a new series and great preparation for the World Cup,” he said, adding that Kristian Clarke would make his debut alongside Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy, while Michael Bracewell continues to manage a calf niggle.

India Misses Out on Key Names

India captain Suryakumar said Shreyas, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav are missing out. “We were looking to play, and there was a bit of dew at 8:30 pm (yesterday). We’ve been doing a lot right, and the atmosphere is positive in the dressing room. Shreyas, Harshit, Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep are the ones from the squad missing out.”
Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Robinson, Devon Conway(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.