Ahmedabad: (TIP): India won the fourth T20 International against England by eight runs to level the five-match series at 2-2. Ishan Kishan the other night, and Suryakumar Yadav on Thursday, March 18. India’s T20 specialists don’t waste any time to find their feet in international cricket and keep sending reminders why they should be playing more regularly. Dropped for the third T20I without getting to face a ball in his debut game, Suryakumar top-scored with 57 in his maiden outing with the bat, an innings that showed what he could offer to the side. His knock was one of the highlights in India’s win over England in the fourth T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which ensured an exciting finish in the fifth and final match on Saturday with the series locked 2-2.

Suryakumar got the opportunity on Thursday only because Ishan had a groin injury. Taking his spot at No 3, the 30-year-old pulled the first ball he faced off Jofra Archer for six over fine-leg. It wasn’t an instinctive shot. Having experienced such countless situations in the IPL, Suryakumar fully expected the length that Archer would deliver. And as the pacer obliged, the Mumbaikar merely responded.

A batsman who should have broken into the side at least a year ago, Suryakumar is at the peak of his prowess in a format, in which he has been so dominant. Unlike the rest of the options, India have to fill in the middle-order slot, Surykumar’s range of shots are unparalleled. For a batsman, who has mostly batted at No 4 and 5 during the middle overs, he has an IPL strike-rate of 134.57. It is his ability to manufacture boundary balls in the middle-overs while maintaining the momentum given by the openers and lay a foundation for the finishers that make him a precious talent in T20s. His other prized asset is his ability to steady the ship when the team struggles without affecting the scoring rate.

With just six months to go for the T20 World Cup, India have finally given him an opportunity to claim a spot. In a team where competition is tough, there is little space for Suryakumar to take time to find his feet. Sanju Samson, who was unable to make most of the opportunities he got in Australia, finds himself

discarded for this series. And maybe all those times he spent waiting for the call has only made Suryakumar hungrier than ever. He looked unstoppable until a debatable umpiring decision sent him back. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant ensured Suryakumar’s innings didn’t go waste as they took India to 185-8, their highest total this series.

And defending the total, England came hard at India. Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow got starts and looked threatening, but somehow the hosts’ attack found ways to get wickets when they needed the most as England wilted under pressure to keep the series alive.