Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag lauded Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav after his brilliant maiden IPL century helped his team defeat the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2023 encounter in Mumbai on Friday.
After being put into bat by GT skipper Hardik Pandya, MI was 88/3 thanks to a brisk start by Ishan Kishan (31 off 20 balls) and skipper Rohit Sharma (29 off 18 balls).
Then, Suryakumar Yadav and Vishnu Vinod (30 off 20 balls) put together a 65-run fourth-wicket partnership. Suryakumar just toyed with GT bowling scoring his maiden IPL ton and finishing with 103* in 49 balls with 11 fours and six sixes, leading MI to 218/5 in 20 overs.
Virender Sehwag was awestruck with Surya’s belligerent hitting against GT bowlers and couldn’t keep himself from praising the MI dasher.
“Surya has not only dazzled Wankhede with his batting but has also enhanced the prestige of this tournament. The way GT players praised Surya, was a sight to behold. This is the epitome of the greatness of this batsman. Now, we can say with full confidence that ‘Surya Hai To Mumkin Hai’,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
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“Surya is playing with fielders of fine leg and square leg. He has a very good sweep shot in his batting repertoire. In doing so, Surya spoiled the rhythm of GT’s spinners and strengthened his team,” added the 44-year-old.
Suryakumar Yadav was not the only impactful player on Friday night. Rashid Khan produced all-around brilliance with his bowling figures of 4/30 and knock of 79* from 32 balls, although his performances ended up in vain.
Mohammad Kaif said GT was lucky to have the Afghanistan spinner in the team.
“Gujarat Titans are lucky to have a player like Rashid Khan. He isn’t just a special bowler but also a good batter. He never gives up. Almighty has been benevolent on GT as they got a world-class cricketer in Rashid.
This is a clinical performance from Mumbai Indians and the confidence in defending the total against GT on a flat deck at Wankhede Stadium will bode Rohit Sharma-led side well in the coming games,” said the former Uttar Pradesh cricketer on Star Sports.
Suresh Raina, an expert with JioCinema, lauded Suryakumar’s approach to the innings, saying that he plays with the psychology of the bowlers.
“He plays with the psychology of the bowler. The way he smacked the ball around the ground. Today, he was batting with calmness once again. His approach was good, his intent was good and look at the results. He hit the ball all around the ground for 103 runs in 49 balls, and he finished it off with his signature celebration,” said the former CSK star.
Zaheer Khan, MI director of cricket, felt that SKY was getting better with every passing game.
“The Surya which we know is back and getting better and better, especially at a crucial time. This time is going to be the most important for any team in the tournament because you’re getting to the business end of the tournament, it’s about going to the playoffs and putting your best foot forward.
When you have Surya on song like this, anything can happen. Teams will be looking at the MI line-up carefully because he holds the key MI and their season,” opined the former India pacer.
MI play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their final two league games.
