South Africa defeated India by 51 runs in the second T20I of the five-match series at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, to level the series 1–1. India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill’s poor run in the 20-over format continued in this match, as both were dismissed for single-digit scores.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Surya admitted to the batting failure and said that he and Gill should have given India a better start in the chase.
“I think Shubman and I could have given a better start because we can’t rely on Abhishek all the time,” Surya said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “The way he’s been batting, he might have an off-day. Shubman, I, and a few other batters should have taken responsibility. I think it would have been a smart chase. But then it’s okay, Shubman got out on the first ball. Still, I should have taken that responsibility and batted a little deeper.”
In 2025, Surya played 19 T20I matches and did not score a single fifty, managing only two scores of over 30. Gill has also not scored a half-century since returning to the T20I team.
To everyone’s surprise, Axar Patel came in to bat at No. 3 for India after Gill was dismissed off the first ball, but the move did not work. Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Surya said:
“As I said, we learn and try to do better in the next game. We just thought, based on the last game, that we have seen Axar bat really well in the longer format, and we wanted him to bat in the same way today. But unfortunately, it didn’t work, although he did bat well. We will see what’s in store for us in the next game.”
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