Even though Mumbai Indians (MI) registered their first win of this UAE-leg of IPL 2021, former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar was not happy with the way Suryakumar Yadav has performed of late.
Suryakumar has only 16 runs to his name in 4 matches and was dismissed for a golden duck against leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Another MI batter who has struggled to get going is Ishan Kishan who was replaced by Saurabh Tiwari in their match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Agarkar in his latest interaction with Star Sports, talked about Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal off Bishnoi as the former failed to read the googly and ended up losing his stumps.
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“It was nothing shot from Suryakumar Yadav (when he got out). Everyone goes through bad patches. But you still want to try and bat a few balls. Just look so short of confidence, Suryakumar Yadav at the moment. This must be a worry for them. He needs to spend some time on the pitch,” Agarkar told Star Sports.
“If you bat certain number of balls, and if you have the ability, the rhythm might come back. Today was a great chance because the other pitches have been a lot tougher. So, it is certainly a little bit of worry because he has looked way short of form and confidence,” he added.
With the T20 World Cup 2021 to be played in UAE and Oman, just a month away, Agarkar expressed his concerns regarding the form of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan as it will be affecting India’s campaign in the ICC mega event.
The cricketer-turned-commentator Ajit Agarkar then talked about the importance of this win for MI to stay in the hunt for a spot in the top 4 and qualifying for playoffs.
“Suryakumar has been in so good in form for India, and in past few IPLs, it's just surprising how short he has looked in form and confidence. Ishan Kishan was also, rightly left out in my opinion by MI. Yes, he has been part of the Indian team, but Saurabh Tiwary has looked good. And Mumbai had to win this game,” the 43-year-old said.
“So they needed a couple of players in good form because Mumbai's middle-order has looked quite fragile. But it is certainly a little bit of worry for India, because they have invested in these two guys, and at this point, they do not look great,” he signed off.
After PBKS, Rohit Sharma and Co. will be taking on Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday (2 October) at Sharjah.
(With Star Sports Inputs)
