Suryakumar Yadav was the cornerstone of Mumbai Indians (MI) batting as they became the IPL champions for the fifth time by beating Delhi Capitals (DC) in the finals of the IPL 2020 in Dubai on November 10.
He scored almost 500 runs for the champion team and many thought that he would finally get the coveted call-up to the Indian senior team despite deserving it for a few years now.
However, all that came Suryakumar’s way was a disappointment, as he was not named in any of the Indian team squads for the tour of Australia, much to the chagrin of not only himself but many others, who felt he deserved the chance after consistent performances in the IPL and domestic cricket as well.
"That time in the gym Rohit was sitting beside me and he just looked at me, and I said, 'obviously, I am a bit disappointed', because he could see that I was expecting some good news," Suryakumar told PTI in an interview.
Suryakumar revealed that a chat with his MI captain Rohit Sharma made him feel a bit better as he was down after not making it into the Indian team for the Australia series.
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"Later on he was like 'I just believed you have been doing a great job for the team right now, and instead of thinking about that (non-selection), you just do the same things what you have been since day one in this IPL. ... 'and when the time is right, your opportunity will come, maybe today or tomorrow but it will come, you just got to believe in yourself'," Surya recalled.
He said that "those words" from Rohit helped him come out of the disappointment.
"I really felt good because I knew how I was feeling at that time and even he could see it in my eyes clearly. I think to come out of that was a big boost for me," he said.
The 30-year-old Mumbai batsman conceded that the team selection for the Australian tour was at the back of his mind.
"During this tournament actually I was a bit disappointed. I knew the team was going to come out, and the same day I tried myself to keep busy, just try and avoid getting that thought -- there is a squad selection tonight. So I thought I'll just focus on my process and my things properly and instead of thinking about the call-up, I will try and keep myself busy, I can go to the gym or maybe spend time with my teammates.
"But yes, at the back of the mind, there was a thought that the team is coming out tonight," he admitted.
Suryakumar said that he was hurt not seeing his name for the tour down under.
"I sat in a room and started thinking, why my name is not there, but after looking at the squad there were a lot of players who got a lot of runs as well and even they have been playing consistently, doing well for India, doing well in IPL. Then I thought instead of thinking about that, I'll just try and keep scoring runs, do my job, what's in my hand, what's in my control, and then wait for the opportunity, whenever it comes, grab with both hands," he said.
"I was satisfied with the way things went in the IPL. I made a few goals before going to the IPL, wanted to tick a few boxes of getting more and more runs. But when the tournament started I thought, maybe, instead of thinking about scoring more runs, I can think about the contributions I can make which can help the team win,” he said about his performances in the tournament.
(PTI inputs)
