The last few months have been challenging for Suryakumar Yadav as he witnessed a slump in form. However, as Mumbai Indians gears up for another edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), neither captain Hardik Pandya nor coach Mahela Jayawardene are concerned about Suryakumar’s form.
“He has scored a lot of runs for so many years and I am not really worried or not concerned about his form. He has batted brilliantly, he has been a match-winner for India and Mumbai Indians, and he brings a lot of energy in the group,” Hardik said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Jayawardene said, “We are not very concerned about SKY. He had a couple of practice games for us, and sometimes, the way he has played and how he has gone about his game, it’s fantastic to watch. When he fails, we all feel, ‘okay, he’s human as well’. So, we just take it at that and allow him to enjoy his batting out there for us…”
Over the last couple of seasons, the introduction of the Impact Player rule has made life difficult for the all-rounders, and commenting on it, Hardik admitted that, with the rule around, it becomes a little difficult to find a spot in the team if you are not completely a 50-50 all-rounder.
“Going forward, whether that can change or will that change is something we will have to see. But yes, if you want to encourage more all-rounders, they will need to have their spot in the team for them to develop over the years,” the Mumbai Indians captain said.