"Didn't let him play his strokes freely" - Rajkumar Sharma on New Zealand's plan against Suryakumar Yadav in 2nd T20I vs India

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma heaped praise on New Zealand bowlers for their impressive performance in the second T20I of the ongoing series against India on Sunday, January 30.

Sharma noted that the Kiwi bowlers did a fantastic job of not letting the dynamic Suryakumar Yadav up the ante. He also mentioned that New Zealand executed their plans perfectly, bowling in the right areas against the swashbuckler.

Speaking to India News Sports after the match, Sharma said:

"New Zealand were able to restrict Suryakumar Yadav, who usually doesn't let the bowlers settle. However, the Kiwi bowlers didn't let him play his strokes freely. They planned it well for him and were able to execute it nicely. Yes, the wicket supported them, but they hit the right areas consistently."

Notably, Suryakumar was the top performer with the bat in the contest. He was the only batter who managed to cross the 20-run mark on the tricky surface. The batter helped India chase down the 100-run target in the final over with his unbeaten knock of 26 off 31 deliveries.

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"Need to score more runs during the powerplay" - Rajkumar Sharma on Indian openers

Rajkumar Sharma further added that Team India openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan need to provide the side with a brisk start in T20Is.

He also emphasized the importance of accumulating quick runs in the powerplay overs. However, Sharma seemed confident in the abilities of the two youngsters, backing them to do well in the upcoming games.

"The performances of our opening batters is a sign of worry," he added. "We need to score more runs during the powerplay. Both Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill are very young and will learn with experience. They are fantastic stroke players, and I am confident that things will improve in the future."

While Kishan has mustered 23 runs in two matches, Gill has just 18 runs to his name in the ongoing series. The two openers will look to bounce back in the all-important series decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1.