Suryakumar Yadav etched his name deeper into Indian T20I history on Saturday as he became the most decorated Indian player in terms of Player of the Match awards in the format. The India skipper claimed his 17th PotM honor in just his 105th T20 International during India’s 2026 T20 World Cup clash against the United States of America at the Wankhede Stadium.

Walking in with India in deep trouble at 77/6, Suryakumar produced a captain’s knock, smashing a sublime 84 off 49 deliveries at a strike rate of 171.43. His calm yet authoritative innings rescued India from collapse and powered them to a competitive 161/9, a total that the hosts successfully defended by 29 runs.

The previous record was held by Virat Kohli, who won 16 Player of the Match awards in 125 T20Is before retiring from the format. Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel are next on the list.

Reflecting on his innings while collecting the award, Suryakumar admitted the milestone felt inevitable. “I knew definitely someday it was going to come,” he said. “Last whole year, I was trying to bat in such a way, holding the innings for the team but it wasn’t happening. After the last series against South Africa, I just left it alone. I packed my kit bag, spent two weeks with family, and when the new year started in Nagpur, it felt completely different.”

The skipper also revealed his thought process during the collapse.
“I always felt there was a need for one batter to bat till the end. I never felt it was a 180–190 wicket; it was more like a 140 wicket,” he explained. “Gauti bhai told me the same thing after 14 overs, just bat till the end, you can cover it anytime.”

Drawing on his local knowledge, Suryakumar added that familiarity with Mumbai conditions played a key role.
“I’ve played a lot of cricket on these wickets and maidans. I knew one batter had to stay till the end. I kept counting the overs, who was about to bowl, how many balls were left, and just focused on playing my shots.”

India will next face Namibia on February 12 in New Delhi.