Mumbai Indians Batter Suryakumar Yadav recently reflected on his debut season for Mumbai Indians in 2011 and said he had “barely sleeping” a night before the game. Suryakumar first came out in prominence during the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy season, where he emerged as the top scorer for Mumbai with 754 runs in nine matches. His influential domestic form gave him a place in the Mumbai Indians Squad in the same year. In the 2012 IPL, Suryakumar made his debut at the Wankhede Stadium against Pune Warriors for Mumbai Indians. He played in a match and was rejected for duck. It was also the only match he played for MI in that season.
Following a brief tenure, he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013 and played an important role in his mid -order, contributing to winning his title in 2014.
“I used to sleep barely at night for Mumbai Indians at night – went to bed around 4 or 5 in the morning. There was a lot of enthusiasm. Playing for a franchise is a different kind of discussion. I was just enjoying the moment that was thinking about stepping on the field for warm -up and as soon as I did, I was already sweating.
In 2018, Suryakumar returned to Mumbai Indians and enjoyed the success season with 512 runs, becoming an important part of his batting lineup. His performance in the 2019 and 2020 sessions was important in MI title runs and eventually led his much awaited national team call-up.
“In 2018, I was not expected to open. I was not in the first two matches, but then the team management came to me and said that I wanted me to take that responsibility. I was eager, so I hugged it. From there, it was on me that he gave the most opportunity. I did not go ahead of my last season 200 as 500 runs, but it looked different.”
He also recalled the IPL 2019 final between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, which Mumbai eventually won by one run. Although he did not participate in the final decision directly, he was watching closely. “I stood at the distance when Rohit and Malinga were talking. Malinga said,” Don’t worry, I will do it. ” And he did so.
One of the most emotional moments of his career came in 2020 when he was not selected for the Indian team’s tour to Australia. He was doing well in domestic cricket and was also a good IPL season. “Everyone thought that I would be selected. Even foreign players were saying the same. When I did not see my name in the squad, I did not talk to anyone for 2-3 days. I either did not practice. Mahela and Zaheer could see that something was wrong,” Suryakumar said.
Since 2021, Suryakumar has changed the way of T20 batting approach. “Earlier, I was batting at a strike rate of 140–150. But the game changed. So I started practicing different shots to stay ahead of bowlers and captains. I focused on areas where I could score with low risk. This season came this season this season came due to that practice against Hyderabad.”
Suryakumar has developed into a trusted batsman for India and MI, known for his aggressive and inventable shot-making. He was part of India’s winning squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup and is now leading the National T20 side after Rohit Sharma’s retirement. In 160 IPL matches, Suryakumar has scored more than 4,000 runs, including two centuries and 27 half -centuries.
Mumbai’s Indians are ready for an important match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Thursday.
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