On a slow track where other batsmen could not break loose, Yadav helped India overcome a sluggish start, hitting six sixes in an incendiary knock coming at number four. Pundit sees merit in promoting the 31-year-old ahead of Virat Kohli, who made a sedate 59 not out, but Yadav said he was not fussy about his slot in the order.

“I’m flexible to bat at any number,” said player of the match Yadav, currently third in the official rankings for Twenty20 batters. “I’ve told the coach and the captain – ‘play me anywhere, just let me play,” he told reporters with a smile. With an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia beginning next month, India has been constantly reining their batting lineup to identify a winning combination.

“We are trying a lot of things and experimenting a lot, and it’s better to try those things out in matches like this than in the nets,” Yadav said. The experimentation included the idea of batting first and Yadav said the players had a better idea of how to construct an innings and set up a winning target.

“What would be an ideal total, what type of tempo we need to set in the middle overs, how to finish it … everything was crystal clear.” “If I could not do that, Rishabh (Pant), Dinesh Karthik, or (Ravindra) Jadeja would have done that. We have enough firepower in that lineup.”