IPL 2018: Suryakumar Yadav And the Art of Thinking Out of the Box

The 27-year-old batsman Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the bright prospects in Mumbai Indians’ start-stop Indian Premier League journey this season.

Interestingly, the right-hand batsman scored 73 on his Ranji debut. He was eventually snapped by the Mumbai franchise in this year’s mega-auction.

This was not the first time that Suryakumar was donning the Mumbai jersey. Back in 2011, he was very much a part of the dugout. And that is where an interaction with legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar helped him set his eyes on the prize.

It was under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership that Suryakumar finally found his calling.

Coming down the order, the stroke-maker chipped in with quick-fire 20s and 30s, helping Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win games.

With 283 runs from eight innings and a couple of gritty fifties under his belt, Surya is currently the highest run-getter for the defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Suryakumar keeps it simple:

Known for his flamboyance and confidence that doesn’t usually crosses the borderline, the street-smart cricketer believes in thinking out of the box at times.

“If you want to get noticed in Mumbai cricket, you have to be different. You have to do something exceptional. And every time I stepped on the field, I thought that I have to do something different and something interesting, to entertain myself and everyone,” he said in a video for Mumbai Indians.

In addition, his father Ashok Yadav, an electrical engineer realized his son’s potential only after Kamath noticed the young boy in the field and convinced his father to support the kid.

“When he first came to the ground, he was just 8 or 9. He would pick the ball and throw it back, but he would stay on the ground. We would have MCA’s U-14 nets at our ground back then. The nets were supervised by Kamath Sir,” childhood coach Ashok M Aswalkar said.

 

“The moment he saw Suryakumar at the nets, he said this boy will go places. In the age group, he would initially get out after scoring 50 or 60. But there was this particular game at Cross Maidan and there he scored 140-odd off just 40-45 balls. And that was the start of great things,” he added.

Not too long back, Suryakumar Yadav led the Triumph Knights to glory in the Mumbai Cricket Association’s T20 league, scoring an unbeaten 90 off 42 balls.

But, if Rohit Sharma’s men are to win their remaining games – to have a shot at the playoffs, this local lad with a fine array of strokes needs to set the ball rolling.

Also, Read: IPL 2018: AB de Villiers is Close to be Hundred Percent Fit