Sunil Gavaskar believed that the Mumbai Indians batting duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan didn’t have fire in their bellies after getting the India cap. The duo has failed to light up the 2nd half of the Indian Premier League in the UAE after getting selected in the upcoming 2021 T20I World Cup.
Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday lamented the Mumbai Indians duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan after their poor run of form in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Suryakumar Yadav Failed To Score More Than 33 In 5 Matches Of UAE Leg Of IPL 2021 While Ishan Kishan Have Been Dropped After 3 Failures
Suryakumar Yadav has reached double figures only once in the second leg of IPL 2021. His last five innings are 3,5,8,0 and 33. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan was dropped from the Mumbai Indians squad after three failures. Ishan Kishan scored 11, 14, and 9 in his last three innings, before his axe.
Hardik Pandya has scored 112 runs in 10 IPL 2021 games, while his elder brother Krunal Pandya managed only 134 runs and only 5 wickets in 12 outings. The in-form Suryakumar Yadav has managed only 222 runs in 12 IPL games, while Ishan Kishan has scored 107 runs in 8 games. This is in stark contrast to MI’s last season in UAE, where Suryakumar Yadav had scored 480 runs in 16 games, and Ishan Kishan had hit 516 runs in 14 games in IPL 2020.
Sunil Gavaskar: Suryakumar Yadav And Ishan Kishan Have Relaxed After Getting India Cap
India batting legend and former skipper Sunil Gavaskar said that the duo has relaxed after getting the India caps and that’s why they are out of form.
“I think it looks to me like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have just relaxed a little bit after getting the India cap. They might not have, but for some of the shots they are playing it looks like they are trying to play these big shots just because they are India players,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“Sometimes what happens is, you gotta give yourself a little bit of time, and you gotta get your shot selection right. And I think that is where they have missed this time around, where their shot selection has not been exactly correct, and that’s why they’ve got out cheaply,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
Sunil Gavaskar also suggested that Hardik Pandya, not bowling is a big blow not only for Mumbai Indians but might harm India’s chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will take place after IPL 2021 concludes.
“Hardik Pandya not bowling is a big blow, not just for the Mumbai Indians, but for India as well, because he was taken in the team as an all-rounder. And if you are in the team, batting at No 6 or No 7, and you’re not able to bowl, then it makes it difficult for the captain,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“He doesn’t get the flexibility and option that is so required for somebody batting at No 6 or 7 like an all-rounder,” he added.
Mumbai Indians will face Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday in Sharjah. It’s a must-win match for both teams as they are aiming for the one remaining playoff spot. Rajasthan Royals kept their playoffs hope alive by beating the current table-toppers Chennai Super Kings in their previous match.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, didn’t perform well as a unit in the second leg of the IPL 2021. Their batsmen failed miserably, and as a result, they managed to win only one of their last 5 matches. They are currently placed at the 7th spot in the standings with 10 points.
RR Probable XI: Yashaswi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Aakash Singh/ Kartik Tyagi, Mayank Markande.
MI Probable XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton De Kock(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary/Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar/ Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult.