Who Said What? What did Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya & Varun Chakravarthy say after India’s 3-1 T20I series win?

India bagged a 30-run win over South Africa in the fifth and final T20I of the five-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.

Delving into the details of the final T20I, batting first, India posted a daunting total of 231/5 on the board. Sanju Samson (37), Abhishek Sharma (34), Tilak Varma (73), and Hardik Pandya (63) were impressive with the willow. 

In the chase, Quinton de Kock's 65-run knock went in vain as South Africa could score only 201/8 in 20 overs, losing the game by 30 runs. Varun Chakravarthy scalped a match-winning four-wicket haul.

On that note, let’s take a look at what Suryakumar Yadav, POTM Hardik Pandya, and POTS Varun Chakravarthy said after India’s 3-1 series win.

Indian captain, Suryakumar Yadav

From the start of the series, we wanted to stick to a particular brand of cricket and we did exactly that. We didn’t try to do anything different. We wanted to express ourselves in all departments and the results are right there in front of everyone. Yeah, this is something we felt was missing in our last few series. This is exactly how we wanted to bat, once someone gets going, they don’t stop. We wanted that relentless intent, and today it worked beautifully. Yes, we wanted to try something different. The plan was to use Bumrah in one over in the powerplay, control the middle phase after drinks and then have him ready for the death overs. Washi stepped up brilliantly today and took responsibility. We were under pressure at times, we were challenged, but this game is about how you respond and the boys did really well. It’s been challenging but a very good series. We did almost everything we wanted to. Maybe the only thing we couldn’t quite manage was finding “Surya the batter” I think he went missing somewhere!(smiles) But he’ll be back stronger. As a team, I’m really happy. Whenever we were in trouble, someone always put their hand up and pulled us through. As captain, that’s very satisfying.

Player of the Series, Varun Chakaravarthy 

It was a high-intensity match and probably the best game of the series. I really enjoyed it. That’s the role assigned to me; my first option is always to look for wickets. There’s no reason not to. So whenever I get the ball, my mindset is to attack and look to make an impact. I talk to all of them - Surya, Sanju and others. They always encourage me and those conversations really help. (How do you stay ahead of the curve?) Just by constantly evolving. I try to bring something new every series. If it works, great; if not, I go back, work on it and come back stronger. That’s how I keep improving. I would like to dedicate this to my mom, dad, and sister.

Player of the Match, Hardik Pandya

Winning games is what you play for and it’s always exciting when your contribution helps the team get over the line. No, I actually didn’t know (he has the second fastest fifty for India) until I got out and went back. Our social media guys told me I was the second-fastest. My first reaction was, “Ah, I missed the top spot!” But happy that Yuvi pa holds that record. Today I just felt it. I actually told my partner beforehand that I was going to step out first ball and try to hit it for six. I was confident it would come off. The situation suited my style; I backed myself and it worked. I took a calculated risk and thankfully it went my way. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge. No matter how many setbacks you face, the aim is to come back stronger, better, and make a bigger impact. When it all comes together, it feels satisfying. But the journey continues - the preparation, the planning, the hard work never stops.

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