Suryakumar Yadav came up with a statement of sorts on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. His IPL 2024 form before MI’s home game against SRH was likened to the keys on a piano — up and down, as his scores read 0, 52, 0, 78, 10, 26, 10, 56. However, the World No. 1 T20I batter showed why he is rated the best in the world with a 51-ball 102 not out that helped MI comfortably outclass the in-form SunRisers.
Suryakumar, who returned to the IPL 2024 season after a long injury layoff, battled tiredness during his whirlwind knock, not throwing in the towel even though he found it hard to run between wickets comfortably. “I felt it was the need of the hour for me,” Suryakumar Yadav said after winning the Player of the Match award. The Mumbai star acknowledged the value and the timing of his second IPL hundred. He proved his naysayers and detractors wrong. He never had to justify his spot in the T20 World Cup squad, but he needed self-assurance that everything was going right.
It’s not easy returning from a long injury layoff, which involved surgery in treating sports hernia, and straightaway finding peak form in a tournament like the IPL. And Suryakumar was under pressure straight away as MI’s campaign, under their new captain Hardik Pandya, was floundering. Their captain was booed and the atmosphere in the dug-out looked tense. It was not as if Suryakumar was struggling to put bat to ball, but the seasoned campaigner was not able to live up to his own high standards.
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However, on Monday, Suryakumar was a different beast. Building on a fifty he scored against KKR earlier in the month, Suryakumar showcased his ability to soak in pressure and play the situation in his imitable style. Suryakumar and Tilak Varma joined hands when Mumbai were reeling at 31 for 3 while chasing 174. SRH captain Pat Cummins greeted Suryakumar in the middle with a wicket maiden over. Suryakumar was beaten 4 times on the trot by Cummins, who bowled a Test match line on the Wankhede Stadium pitch that was assisting swing and seam bowling under the night sky.
“Initially it was really tough. We were struggling and decided to play with the straight bat. Play it like Tests or ODI knowing we have a 360-degree batter,” Tilak Varma said after their unbeaten 143-run partnership — the highest for Mumbai for the 4th wicket of below in the history of IPL.
SPECIAL UNDER PRESSURE
Suryakumar was willing to see off the new ball. And it didn’t take long for him to launch a counter-attack as he tore into left-arm pacer Marco Jansen in the first over after the powerplay. 22 runs came off the 7th over with Suryakumar doing what Suryakumar does best – flick a fast bowler into the stands behind square on the leg side. Two sixes and two boundaries were hit in the over and the momentum swung in MI’s favour.
There was no stopping Suryakumar from there on. He hit 6 sixes and 12 boundaries and reached his second IPL hundred in just 51 balls. He hit a six to get to the landmark and help complete MI’s chase of 174 in just 17.2 overs. The World No. 1 T20I batter well and truly arrived at the IPL party, showcasing how dangerous he can be even against some of the best bowlers.
“During the chase, they had to get through those first 4 or 5 overs. But MI lost 3 wickets. But they kept hanging in there. And then this partnership, that was class, batting at its best. Under pressure initially, and then to be aggressive and take on the bowlers is very hard thing to do. And then capitalise and not give it away and get the team home is something special,” former Australian captain Michael Clarke told Star Sports, lauding Suryakumar’s hundred.
“He finds the boundaries so easily. I know this ground is quite small, especially on one side. But the way he timed the ball, they were going for sixes in any ground in the world. So, we got another good look at his class. That’s an innings, I am sure he will remember for a long time. But I think we should not underestimate that knock. The team has been under pressure, the senior players failed at the top. He grabbed that today and stood up. That’s leadership,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav’s 2nd IPL hundred saw him equal Rohit Sharma’s record for most 3-figure scores for MI by a batter in the IPL. It was also his 6th T20I hundred. The MI star took his tally in the season to 334 runs in just 9 matches. As expected, Suryakumar has been striking at over 170 in the ongoing season.
“Suryakumar is a high-quality batter. He knows how to absorb pressure. When he walked in, he absorbed the pressure. He did not do anything silly. He absorbed pressure, especially in the Cummins over. That was one of the best overs of the IPL, a maiden wicket. It was quality bowling, it was almost like we were watching Test bowling. Suryakumar Yadav was also aided by some ordinary bowling,” former fast bowler Varun Aaron said on Monday.
Yes, Mumbai’s playoff hopes are all but over. However, the remaining two games of their campaign allow their World Cup-bound stars to find some form. Suryakumaar, who ruled out any injury after his blazing 102, will be hoping to send a couple more warning notices to India’s rivals before he joins the rest of the teammates on their trip to the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.
