India captain Virat Kohli praised Suryakumar Yadav’s knock of 57 off just 31 balls as India won the fourth T20I against England in Ahmedabad by eight runs and levelled the five-match series 2-2. Kohli said Suryakumar, who was playing his first innings in international cricket, batted “outstandingly well” and hailed the fearlessness of the Mumbai Indians batsman, something Kohli said Suryakumar had gained from Indian Premier League. “Special mention to Surya, he batted outstandingly well in his first game. Similar to Ishan. They are quite fearless having played in the IPL,” Kohli said after the match on Thursday.

“It’s not easy to walk in at three in your first game and we all were stunned,” Kohli said of Suryakumar, who walked in to bat after Rohit Sharma was dismissed early. 

“He stamped his authority and allowed the likes off-side Shreyas, Hardik and Pant to do their job. I am a fan of these youngsters,” Kohli was exuberant in his praise.

While a total of 185 was a good one to defend, the bowlers did the job for India in the second half, especially at the death.

Jason Roy (40 off 27) and Ben Stokes (46 off 23) threatened to take the game away from India at different stages but Shardul Thakur (3/42), Hardik Pandya (2/16) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/30) bowled exceedingly well at the death to squeeze the England chase.

“Shardul turned it around but our powerplay start kept England in check and under pressure,” Kohli said.

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“I am more happy for Hardik who bowled his four overs. It augers well for us if he does it for us.

“He was potent with the new ball. He has skill with the ball and he clicked 140+ as well. He put enough pressure on Roy and then got Sam Curran out as well in the end. His role in the defence in the end was very crucial,” Kohli added.