Suryakumar Yadav’s form is one of the few positives for the 5-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The flamboyant batter has been consistent with the willow, having scored more than 400 runs in three successive seasons (512 in 2018, 424 in 2019, 480 in 2020). 

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In 2021, he was given the opportunity to play for his country, and he took his outstanding IPL form to the international stage, solidifying his place in the limited-overs format. Yadav recently revealed on Gaurav Kapur’s show Breakfast with Champions that the MI skipper Rohit Sharma has always supported him and pushed him to score more runs.

The 31-year-old recalled an incident from IPL 2020 when the Mumbai team was celebrating his birthday and Rohit conveyed a special message to him on the MI TV video. After cutting the cake, Rohit was seen encouraging ‘SKY’ to keep working hard since the Indian cap isn't far away.

“Many many happy returns of the day, keep working hard, You are not far away from the India cap. He was always behind me and pushed me to score runs. If I was scoring, he would say score again in the next game and the one after that also. Keep knocking on that door, and if it doesn’t open, break it. So he was completely behind me,” Surya said.

He also recalled his Ranji Trophy debut in 2010/11, when he batted alongside Sharma and thinks that the current India captain's mindset hasn't changed.

“When I made my domestic debut in Ranji Trophy 2010/11, he was batting with me. Since then, his attitude and how he motivates players has remained the same. If I shut my eyes and think about him, I’m transported back to 2010/11,” he added.

The Mumbai Indians have had a disastrous start to their 2022 campaign, having lost 6 times in as many matches. They will next take on the 4-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday (April 21) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

(NEWS18 INPUTS)