Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma Rohit said the rest of his team’s batters need to follow the ways of Suryakumar Yadav, who has looked MI’s only player in the pink of health with the bat in hand so far in the 2022 Indian Premier League.
On April 10, the five-time IPL champions suffered their fourth defeat of the tournament against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Yadav, however, played a fantastic knock of 68 not out off just 37 deliveries in MI’s paltry 151/6 in 20 overs, defending which the side went down by seven wickets on a good batting surface in Pune.
In the previous outing against the Kolkata Knight Riders as well, the Indian middle-order batter had produced an innings of 52 off 36 balls in MI’s 161/4, another less-than-ideal score for the conditions in play.
“Definitely not a 150 pitch. Surya showed us if you bat sensibly, you can get more than what you got.”
“Lot of credit to Surya at least to get us to 150, but we knew that it wasn’t going to be enough. We took our chances with the ball but they batted quite sensibly.”
Rohit assessed the track in Pune perfectly at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Watching Suryakumar bat in the last two matches after returning from injury has been a breath of fresh air. The 31-year-old has looked exceptional against both pace and spin and put the pressure back on the opposition with his ability to play all around the wicket and counter different field settings and plans.
The batter’s comeback was expected to change the fortunes for the side. But the team’s insipid batting effort in the competition thus far have held their aces back. MI have also looked more vulnerable than ever with the ball in hand.
The Mumbai franchise next play on April 13 against the Punjab Kings in Pune.
