Suryakumar Yadav became the fastest player among full-member nations to reach 100 T20Is, breaking Babar Azamโs record in the first T20I vs New Zealand in Nagpur. Despite the milestone, his recent lack of runs remains a concern ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav became the fourth Indian to feature in 100 or more T20 internationals, joining Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. The milestone came during the first T20I against New Zealand at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. In the process, the Mumbai batter also surpassed Babar Azamโs world record to become the fastest player among full-member nationsย to reach 100 T20I appearances.
While the former Pakistan captain had taken 2,410 days to achieve the landmark, Suryakumar reached it in just 1,774 days, bettering the record by a remarkable margin of 636 days.
Suryakumarโs form remains a concern
Even on a record-breaking day, Suryakumarโs form is a major talking point. He has made only 34 runs in the last four matches, which is heavily concerning, especially leading up to the T20 World Cup 2026. Addressing that, the veteran mentioned that he has been batting well in the nets and isnโt concerned about that at the moment.
โI’ve been short of runs, but I can’t change my identity. I have decided to keep doing what I have been doing for the last three or four years, as that has brought me a lot of success. If the performance comes, I’ll take it; if it doesn’t, it’s back to the drawing board. I’m still batting in the nets the way I always have,โ Suryakumar said in the press conference.
New Zealand opt to bowl first
New Zealand have won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first T20I. Dew is expected to arrive at around 8:30 pm IST and the BlackCaps want to capitalise on that. Captain Mitchell Santner noted that he expects a high-scoring contest.ย
India’s Playing XI:
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
New Zealand Playing XI:
Tim Robinson, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kristian Clarke, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy