Why Hardik Pandya didn't bowl in the Powerplay: Suryakumar Yadav explains

NEW DELHI: India skipper Suryakumar Yadav urged his teammates to continue playing fearless cricket and expressed satisfaction at how the team’s batting depth stepped up during their win over South Africa in the first T20I on Tuesday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Hardik Pandya powered India to 175 for six with a blazing unbeaten 28-ball 59, before the bowlers skittled South Africa for 74 in 12.3 overs to seal a 101-run victory.

"I said at the toss that we were 50:50 but happy to bat. At 48 for 3 and to get 175, was great. We thought we would get to 160, but 175 was unbelievable," Suryakumar said during the post-match presentation.India were 104 for five at one stage before staging a strong recovery to post a competitive total."With 7-8 batters, there will be days when the other batters cover it up. We want everyone to be fearless and enjoy their batting," he added.Explaining why Pandya did not bowl in the powerplay, Suryakumar said: "I think Arshdeep and Bumrah were the perfect bowlers in the powerplay. Hardik coming back later on, him coming back from injury we had to take care of him."