Suryakumar Yadav had sacrificed his number three slot for young Tilak Varma in the national side but the Mumbai Indians’ vice-captain on Saturday dropped hints that he could bat at his familiar position, saying they have a flexible batting order. Surya, India’s T20 skipper, will be leading Mumbai Indians in the opening match as regular skipper Hardik Pandya is serving a one-match ban over-rate related offence during the previous edition. Asked if he would again promote the flamboyant Tilak above him in the MI batting set-up, the stand-in skipper replied: “So you might see guys being flexible during this season, during this stint with the IPL. And everyone is flexible. Even I can bat at 3, I can bat at 5, Tilak can bat at 5. So it’s that flexibility we have in our team.” He then explained that it was Tilak’s hard work that made him think of elevating his batting position in national set-up.
“It’s always good to have that impact at the top. And I have seen that guy (Tilak), he has been working really hard. So for team India, I thought it will be better if he can bat number 3 and I can take the responsibility at number 4.
“Because for me, batting number doesn’t matter. I bat the same way, try and make that impact whenever there is an opportunity and so does he (Tilak).” Jasprit Bumrah has still not recovered from his lower back stress fracture and no wonder the team would miss their biggest match-winner, Surya admitted.
“It is difficult to fill in the shoes of such an amazing player. But it is part of the game. The show must go on.” The Indian T20I skipper was also probed on his last season’s form which was scratchy by his standards even as he enjoyed a more than 80 percent win record as national captain.
“With the form, the harder you work, the luckier you get. If it has to come, it will come any time. But I am actually a process-oriented man. I love to work hard in the nets. And if the runs have to follow, it will follow quickly. Some day or the other.” But can he work his way through a format like T20 where shot making is a high risk-high reward process? Surya said he knows when he is in a good mind space.
“If I am practicing well, hitting the ball really well in the nets. When I go in the game, if my mind is clear, I know what I have to do. That is the moment, that is the sweet spot for me. When I know that I am in good space and I will get runs for the side.” In the past 11 seasons, MI has not won its opening match and Surya is hopeful that things will change on Sunday.
“We will try and change the tide from tomorrow. Starting on a winning note, taking that head start is always important in a tournament. But it is a long tournament, 14 games plus 2, 16 games. So, it is completely fine. We can always start a new game, have a new game from the second game.” Asked if he would be monitoring the performances of all India hopefuls considering the T20 World Cup in India is in February-March next year, he said, “my eyes were always open, even when I was not the captain.” “So, any player who can make an impact for India, your eyes have to be wide open. And it won’t be that different from all these years.” He was also asked about his plans of controlling the uncapped player named Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“Uncapped player Dhoni! Has anyone been able to control him for so many years? We have learnt so many things from him. We still learn. “Whenever we get an opportunity, we have a chat with him. So, I am really excited to see him again tomorrow. But from the other side, I will be leading against him.”
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