IPL 2024: “I ask my coaches to ‘kick me out if I’m gone’”- Suryakumar Yadav on his process to prepare for match situations

Suryakumar Yadav made 102* as MI defeated SRH in Mumbai.

Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav was the toast of his team’s recent win in the IPL 2024 over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mumbai. He scored a brilliant unbeaten century and was named the Player of the Match for the same.

MI had won the toss and chosen to bowl first. Travis Head scored 48 runs with seven fours and one six, as SRH continued to lose wickets for very few runs. Mayank Agarwal (5), Heinrich Klaasen (2), Nitish Reddy (20), and Marco Jansen (17) failed to provide the runs that SRH required in the middle overs.

The Sunrisers only managed to score 173/8 in 20 overs owing to captain Pat Cummins' stunning 35, which included two fours and two sixes.

In response, MI lost the top three quite quickly, but then Tilak Varma (37*) and Suryakumar Yadav added 143* runs for the 4^th wicket to take MI to the win. Yadav remained not out on 102 in 51 balls with 12 fours and 6 sixes.

Speaking to the JioCinema experts Parthiv Patel and Pragyan Ojha after the game, Suryakumar Yadav admitted that his heart was beating too fast before coming out to bat.

“I won’t be lying but my heart was beating fast. I never felt that I would be batting so early on in the innings. Everything’s uncertain in this game so I was prepared. I know a couple of deliveries will seam away. I had no clue initially but since I survived, I thought to settle down in the first three overs and then if I get the ball in my zone, I will play my shots,” Suryakumar said on JioCinema.

Yadav revealed how he prepares himself to bat under testing conditions. He said he asks his coach to throw him out of the nets if he gets out during match simulations.

“I always have this in my mind how will I bat when the scoreboard reads 0 for 2. So, I prepare myself in that way. So that’s what I do in the nets and apply the same in the game as well. Because I know if I finish my nets happily, then I will definitely do well in the game. If not in a couple of games but will definitely play well in the following matches.

I prepare according to the situation like what if the team loses a few early wickets? Sometimes I put so much pressure on myself that I ask my coaches to ‘kick me out if I’m gone. When I go in the game, I just need to express myself because I have faced such situations already in the nets. If it clicks, then fair enough, and if not, then be it in the next game,” Suryakumar added.

MI will now have some break as they will next face KKR in Kolkata on May 11.