Mumbai Indians (MI) opened their winning account in the ongoing IPL with a six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (April 11).

After the game, MI batter Suryakumar Yadav was awarded a medal for showcasing courage on the field.

In a video shared by Mumbai Indians’ Youtube channel, Surya was lauded for his grit and determination to return to the field despite getting hit on his forehead above the left eye.

The incident happened during the 17th over of DC’s innings as Jason Behrendorff bowled a length ball on the middle stump which Akshar Patel lofted straight towards long-on.

Suryakumar lined up to take the catch with his hands pointed towards the sky but the ball missed his hands and hit him flush on the forehead.

“If I can just say something about this particular award. So he did get hit on the field he came in and his eye was starting to swell. He had to put ice in there. And I came in thinking okay well maybe we move him down the order.”

“He meets me in the bathroom and says to me, “Coach, I actually want to bat fourth,” MI head coach Mark Boucher can be heard saying in the video.

The former South African cricketer further said these are the type of characters that he wants in the dressing room.

“So, for me that’s not shying away from anything. These are the types of characters that you want in the dressing room. When times are tough, they are not scared to hide in the back of the changing room, they want to get out there and perform.”

Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in their next match on Sunday (April 16) at the Wakhede Stadium.