Kkr: Focus On Surya As Mi Host Kkr | Mumbai News

Mumbai: While the win over Delhi Capitals in the last match may have calmed nerves in the Mumbai Indians’ camp, there are still teething issues they need to fine tune before they could mount a serious challenge in this edition of the IPL. One of them is helping Suryakumar Yadav find his mojo. Surya has been among the key performers for MI over the years but at the moment his confidence is at its lowest ebb.
The right-hand batter was the first to hit the nets on Saturday afternoon and spent a good half-an-hour fine tuning his game in sweltering conditions at the Wankhede Stadium as MI prepared to face Kolkata Knight Riders in an afternoon start on Sunday.
Surya had a torrid time in the field against the Capitals and misjudged a straight chance which ended up hitting just above his left eye. And while batting, got out for a golden duck when he hit a shortish leg-side delivery straight to the fielder at fine leg. Surya in his pomp had put many such balls into the stands.
So far in the IPL, he has looked twitchy whenever he has walked out to bat and circumspect while playing the shots that have brought him success over the last few years. Those three consecutive golden ducks against Australia during the ODI series a couple of months ago are still playing on his mind and in turn affecting his performances with his scores in the first three matches of the season reading: 15, 1, 0.
On Sunday, he returns to the Wankhede — where he scored the first of his three ducks against the Aussies last month — to face his former franchise KKR against whom he has scored 337 runs in nine matches with the help of three half-centuries.
While the recent bad memories will linger somewhere in his thoughts, but then there will be good ones as well of him playing some scintillating innings for MI and Mumbai on his home turf. MI will hope that he comes to the party sooner rather than later to give a helping hand to the batting line-up which needs a booster shot in the middle-overs.
For that, he has to revisit his knocks in the shortest format in 2022. Last year he was named the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year thanks to his stupendous performance which saw him score 1,164 runs in 31 innings at a strike rate of 187.43 with the help of nine fifties and two centuries.
One of them was a blistering unbeaten 111 against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in November 2022 which prompted Virat Kohli to tweet: “Numero Uno showing why he’s the best in the world. Didn’t watch it live but I’m sure this was another video game innings by him.” He started 2023 with an unbeaten 112 during the T20I series against Sri Lanka in Rajkot. But his below-par efforts in the ODIs have had an adverse effect on the way he is batting in T20s.
MI all-rounder Tim David feels Surya will return to form. “I have absolutely no concerns about him. Last game, he played a shot that he plays all the time and it normally goes to six. He is prepared to put his innings on the line for the team and walked out in that situation to do that. So, he is an important part of the team and we know that when he is in his best form, he is going to be scoring 90s, 100s, and winning games for us which we have seen (in the past),” said the Australian.
MI have a healthy record against KKR having won 22 of the total 31 matches played against them. At Wanhkede, MI have dominated their opponents by winning eight of the nine matches.
Meanwhile, 19000 young girls from 36 NGOs and 200 special children will attend the match as part of the Reliance Foundation Mumbai Indians’ initiative Education and Sports for All (ESA).