Suryakumar Yadav has shown signs of rapid improvement and provides great value to the most successful franchise Mumbai Indians. With 512 runs in the 2018 season, followed by 424 runs in 2019 and 480 runs in 2020, the conversation around the Mumbai batsman shifted to the prospects of him doing the same in India colours.
It took until the fourth T20I in the five-match series against England earlier this year for him to get a chance to bat in international cricket, where an instant impact was made.
Suryakumar Yadav Appeared In Style In International Cricket And Is Expected To Continue His Form In The Sri Lanka Series
His 31-ball 57, consisting of six fours and three sixes, bore an uncanny resemblance to what he regularly pulled off for his IPL franchise. He did it again just two days later with a 17-ball 32 in the fifth T20I and is expected to play a stellar role once again in the Sri Lanka series where he is set to play all 6 games.
The Indian team consisting of newcomers and white ball specialists is currently on the Sri Lanka tour to play three ODIs and as many T20Is against the hosts. This series is thus likely to be the only shorter format series to be played by India ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Ahead of the much-awaited series, there came the reports that the IPL 2022 mega auction will bring in a new rule for every IPL team to retain a total of four players instead of three for the mega auction.
In the pre-tour press conference, Suryakumar Yadav was asked about the retention policy of the auction. Answering it he said that the team got to hear about the news and aren’t yet sure about its relevance yet. Suryakumar Yadav also echoed his sentiments on what it means to play for the country. He further went on to add that the players are focused and are all gearing up for the upcoming series.
He emphasized the importance of looking at what is in store for the team in the series. Putting up the same thought Suryakumar Yadav said that one cannot really think about what is going on back home.
“Not really. I think this news came yesterday. We are still trying to find out if it’s true or no. But yeah when you play for India the emotion is completely different. I think when you play for India, you don’t think about anything else.
“You are representing your country..the feeling is completely different so, at that time, you can’t think about what’s happening back home. So everyone is really focused and raring to go,” Suryakumar said.
Ahead of the limited-overs battle, starting July 13, the Indian players were involved in an intra-squad practice match. The contest was a 20-over a side warm-up game between Shikhar Dhawan-led XI and Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led XI.
After winning the toss, the Shikhar Dhawan-led side posted 150 runs on the scoreboard, thanks to Manish Pandey‘s heroics with the willow. The Karanataka batsman made 63 runs and got appreciation from his teammates. Ruturaj Gaikwad also made a valuable contribution of 30 runs.
In reply, Mumbai Indians (MI) star batsman Suryakumar Yadav scored a quick-fire half-century to help his side register a comfortable win with three overs to spare. Devdutt Padikkal and Prithvi Shaw also shined with the bat for Bhuvi XI, forming a dominating 60-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Stint With The Mumbai Indians
For the last few years, Suryakumar Yadav has been a vital cog in the Mumbai Indians team. He has often held the fort for the team in the middle-orders guiding them to victory with his belligerent display with the bat. Now with the retention policy that has allowed four players to be retained, it is a question whether Suryakumar Yadav goes ahead of some of the other key names.
It is pretty obvious that skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah would make it to the list. However, with the Pandya brothers (Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya) and Ishan Kishan too being the important parts of the side, it would be intriguing to watch how the five-time winners shape their team this time around.