Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav saying his hard work was finally rewarded and it’s a big achievement to get into the Indian squad given the talent the country has at the moment.
Suryakumar Yadav has stamped his authority in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as one of the most dominating batsmen. He scored over 400 runs in the last season of IPL and helped MI to retain their title.
The 30-year-old’s wait for his international debut ended recently when the Indian selectors named him for the limited-overs series against England. He has scored 512, 424 and 484 runs respectively in the last three seasons for MI.
“Very happy and proud that he made the India debut, well deserved for all the hard work that he has put in because it’s not an easier set up to get in because of the amount of talent that Indian cricket has at the moment. He definitely showed that he is in top form,” Jayawardene was quoted as saying by Times Now.
“We didn’t have to do much. SKY was quite motivated, he had the ambition to play for India and he worked towards that. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, he worked on his fitness.
“In the last three years, we have challenged Surya in different positions up the order. Before that, he was mostly used as a finisher. We saw potential in him to bat up the order,” the former Sri Lankan skipper further stated.
“The main challenge for him is to have that game plan and execute it out there in the middle. What he has done in the last three years is to evolve on that thought process against different oppositions, on different surfaces because he certainly has the skillset to do that.
“And that’s something we have seen in the last three years and he has been a valuable asset for this lineup with what he brings to the table. For us, Surya batting at three or while opening, he had the same impact on us,” he concluded.