IND v AUS: Captain Suryakumar Yadav continues team tradition, hands over trophy to Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma

Captain Suryakumar Yadav continued the Indian team tradition by allowing Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma to lift the trophy after they won the series 4-1 against Australia on Sunday.

On December 3, India clinched a thrilling victory in the 5th T20 International against Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, securing the series with a dominant 4-1 lead. The match was a nail-biter, with India setting a defendable score of 160/8, thanks to a crucial half-century from vice-captain Shreyas Iyer.

IND vs AUS 5th T20I: Scorecard | Highlights

Despite the pressure, the Indian bowlers rose to the occasion, with Mukesh Kumar taking three vital wickets and Ravi Bishnoi showcasing his spin prowess.

The climax of the match came in the final over when India’s pacer Arshdeep Singh was handed the ball with Australia needing 10 runs to win. Demonstrating nerves of steel, Arshdeep gave away only three runs and took the key wicket of the dangerous Matthew Wade, ensuring a six-run victory for India. His “magical” final over was lauded as the turning point that allowed India to emerge victorious in this low-scoring thriller.

Australia had begun their chase on a strong note with openers Travis Head and Josh Philippe, but India’s bowling attack, led by Mukesh Kumar and supported by Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi, kept the pressure on throughout the innings.

After the presentation, Suryakumar decided to gracefully step aside and let Rinku and Jitesh lift the trophy.

This was a tradition started by MS Dhoni in 2007 after India won the inaugural T20 World Cup and it has been continued on by the likes of Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. Abhishek Nayar was delighted to see the tradition continue, as he commented about it on JioCinema.

“It’s good to see this tradition continuing. Suryakumar Yadav has handed over the trophy to Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma. They are, I think, calling the support staff now,” said Nayar.