Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav is looking forward to the next challenge — the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE — after his side failed to secure an IPL playoffs berth despite a herculean effort from the 31-year-old and young Ishan Kishan, who both scored at a blistering pace against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
It was a night where it rained runs. Mumbai Indians stacked up 235/9 in 20 overs, riding on Ishan Kishan’s 84 (32) and Suryakumar Yadav’s 82 (40). But despite winning the match by 42 runs, Rohit Sharma’s boys were eliminated from this edition of the lucrative league.
Suryakumar spoke his thoughts, and also gave an update on the hit he received on his head from a Jason Holder delivery.
“I am good, as it should be. At the end of the day the show must go on and you’ve got to keep smiling whatever happens. We had nothing to lose. We had a target; we just kept running behind it. The pitch was good. Happy to be on the winning side. The World Cup is a big tournament. We don’t change anything. The process, routine all remain the same. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said that he would continue to back his players despite not making it to the business end of the tournament, and “keep the same squad going”.
“When you play for a franchise like Mumbai, you are always expected to go out and perform. I wouldn’t call that pressure. More than anything, it’s expectations. It was very tough to drop big players, I want to back the players and keep the same squad going. We have had on and off season this time around. We have had a fabulous run as a franchise.
“It was wonderful to be part of this set-up, we can be very proud of that. We were getting momentum in Delhi and there was a break that didn’t help the team. It was a collective failure of the group. Very happy with the win today, we gave everything, I am sure it was entertaining for the fans as well. They have always been supportive, they have always stood by us.
“Little disappointed we didn’t go through. Ishan Kishan is a very talented player, just the right position for him to bat is very crucial. Today (Friday) was a perfect game for him. That is the situation he likes. It was wonderful to see from the other end.”
Ishan Kishan, who got a 16-ball fifty, his fastest, and the fastest for a Mumbai Indians batter, was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliance on the field.
