Suryakumar Yadav recalls his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2011

Reflecting on the 2019 final against Chennai Super Kings, Suryakumar said he didn’t get too close because he knew both Rohit and Malinga were experienced players, and they didn’t need any third-party advice

Hyderabad: Mumbai Indians star batter Suryakumar Yadav went down memory lane to recall that he barely slept the night before his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2011.

“I went to bed around 4 or 5 in the morning. There was so much excitement. Playing for a franchise brings a different kind of buzz. I was just enjoying the moment, thinking about stepping onto the field for warm-up and as soon as I did, I was already sweating. It felt really good,” Suryakumar said during the JioHotstar special show ‘The Suryakumar Yadav Experience, Mumbai Indians’ .

Reflecting on the 2019 final against Chennai Super Kings, Suryakumar said he didn’t get too close because he knew both Rohit and Malinga were experienced players, and they didn’t need any third-party advice.

“I was just standing at a distance, observing their reactions. I was taking note, thinking, ‘If I’m ever in this situation tomorrow, I need to stay as calm as they are.’ Rohit spoke to Malinga, and Malinga calmly said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll do it,’ and then he just backed himself. The way he approached that moment showed his experience — he knew exactly what ball to bowl. He’s been in that situation before and handled it perfectly,” Suryakumar explained.

“You keep working hard and wait for your chance. I’ve learned to just enjoy the game, stay true to myself, and go back to work if things don’t click. That mindset came from years of playing domestic cricket,” he said stressing on the importance of domestic cricket.

The star Mumbai batter said it was in2018 that he was asked to open and he embraced the opportunity. “From there, it was up to me to make the most of the opportunity. I didn’t overthink it. Having played all my cricket in Mumbai, I was familiar with the conditions at Wankhede and the pitches. I just kept playing and practicing. I didn’t expect to have a season with 500 runs as my previous seasons never went beyond 200, but this felt different,” he said.

“I expected to be in the T20 squad for the 2020 Australian tour but wasn’t selected. It hit me hard. I couldn’t understand what went wrong. For the next 2-3 days, I didn’t speak to anyone. I took a break and didn’t even practice. I knew my mind wasn’t in the right place, so I decided to relax instead. When I returned to the ground, people
noticed I was off, and Mahela and Zaheer could see it too,” Suryakumar explained.

“The T20 format has changed a lot in the past few years—scoring rates, strike rates, everything. Earlier, I used to bat at a strike rate of 140–150, but post-2020, I realised that to be the best, I needed to evolve. From 2021 to 2024, I focused on exploiting specific areas, finding scoring options where I could also minimise risk,” Suryakumar said.