Suryakumar Yadav has thanked New Zealand bowler Trent Boult for the dropped catch, terming it as a “perfect gift” from him on the birthday of Mumbai batsman’s wife. Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) and Boult play for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Suryakumar struck a half-century that helped India beat New Zealand by five wickets in the first T20I match of the three-match series.

“It’s my wife’s birthday, a perfect gift from him,” Suryakumar Yadav said on Wednesday night, tongue firmly in cheek, after helping India start the series with a win.

Outstanding knocks from Rohit Sharma (48), Yadav (62), and a timely boundary by Rishabh Pant (17*) helped India register a five-wicket win over New Zealand in a thrilling T20 encounter. Suryakumar Yadav who came in at number three joined forces with his skipper to add another 59 runs for the second wicket. Both Suryakumar and Rohit looked in great touch and it seemed that they would finish the game for India but that didn’t happen.

Rohit was dismissed by his Mumbai Indians teammate Boult in the 14th over while Yadav, who went on to hit his third T20I fifty, got out at a time when India was cruising at 144 for 3 in the 17th over. His dismissal gave New Zealand a glimmer of hope and they managed to bring the equation between runs required and balls left to within touching distance. Things got too close for comfort in the final three overs with 21 runs needed off 18 balls for India as Shreyas Iyer and debutant Venkatesh Iyer got out for 5 and 4, respectively. But, Rishabh Pant (17 not out off 17 balls) held his nerve and managed to get the team over the line, with two balls to spare.

SKY, who had an indifferent IPL 2021 in UAE and did not do as well as he would have liked in the T20 World Cup too, said he did not do anything different in the buildup to the first T20I.

“I’ve been doing nothing different, I try to bat the same way in the nets and replicate the same in the game. I put a lot of pressure on myself in the nets, if I get out I go into the dressing room and think what better I could have done. The ball was coming on nicely to the bat, came on a bit slow later, but happy to be on the winning side,” SKY said after the match.