Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav showed why he is as much a master of the microphone as he is with the bat during the toss for the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand.
As IND vs NZ T20I series reached its climax at the Greenfield International Stadium, all eyes were on whether Kerala’s own Sanju Samson would feature in the starting XI.
Suryakumar, sensing the immense anticipation from the capacity crowd, used the moment to deliver a crowd-pleasing teaser. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, SKY addressed the stadium directly, saying:
“We are going to bat first. We were here last night. There were a lot of dew. So we want to test our bowlers by defending the total tonight.
“Looks like a good wicket. We had a good hit last night and the curator said it’s going to play true for the next 40 overs, no grass and it is going to be a good one. We have three changes – Axar comes back, Ishan comes back and one more. Whatever it is, Trivandrum, Sanju Samson is playing tonight (laughs).
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Cheeky Suryakumar Yadav at the toss and confirming Sanju Samson is playing. 🤣pic.twitter.com/o8BFW7QeRQ
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 31, 2026
“He’s (Tilak) just taking his time to play a few practice games. He’s been a good player for us. When he comes back, it’s going to be a solid side. But yeah, we’re really waiting for him.
“We’ve almost covered all the departments, batting, bowling and fielding. But yeah, every time you do something, you try and learn something out of it and then take it to the next game.”
The announcement triggered an immediate roar from the stands, as fans had been vocal about seeing their “local hero” in action for this crucial homecoming match.
Changes in Team India for 5th T20I
Suryakumar confirmed several tactical rotations as India fine-tunes its combination for the upcoming T20 World Cup:
Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel have returned to the playing XI.
Varun Chakravarthy also makes a comeback to strengthen the spin department.
Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi were among those rested for the finale.
Explaining his decision to bat first despite the presence of dew, SKY noted that the team wanted to “test themselves” by defending a total, a scenario they might face in high-pressure World Cup knockout games.
