At the end of Match No. 9 of this year’s IPL at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening, Mumbai Indians are yet to win their first points, going down in three straight matches in final over, all failing to defend totals.
However, they have the highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker, Suryakumar Yadav wearing the Orange Cap with 124 runs in three innings – scores of 43, 28 and 53 in his first three matches – and leg-spinner Mayank Markande (7 wickets).
Yadav proudly wore the Orange Cap while addressing the media post Mumbai Indians’ seven-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils.
“I really didn't think about it when I started playing the tournament,” Yadav said when asked how difficult it would be to wear the Cap till the end of the tournament. “As I was batting really well, I kept on thinking ‘let's try and enjoy my batting more rather than thinking about getting so many runs in the tournament’. If I keep my routine and those small small processes right, this (pointing to his Orange Cap) will come someday,” said the 27-year-old Mumbai batsman.
Saturday was the first time that Yadav has ever opened in a T20 game. Largely a middle-order batsman, the role given to him this IPL was at No. 4. The promotion to opening the innings came after MI’s last match in Hyderabad.
Yadav said, “The team management came up to me yesterday (Friday) and after the last game and asked if I would like to bat higher up the order. I said I didn’t mind batting anywhere as I am flexible. So they said number 3 as the position I’d be batting. But, on Friday, while we were coming back on the flight (from Hyderabad to Mumbai), and in the bus to the hotel they said they’d love if I’d open the innings as I have played a lot of cricket here (at the Wankhede) and I was the most experienced. So I said I don't mind opening the innings as I knew how the wicket behaves with the new ball. With the recent T20 Mumbai Premier League success, I said let’s take that challenge and responsibility and go ahead.”
Disappointed at not seeing his team through after scoring his first fifty for Mumbai Indians, and his second IPL fifty ever (the first came for Kolkata Knight Riders two years ago), Yadav said: “We were 10-15 runs short but still 180-plus is a good score on any ground. It was defendable. When we started fielding, we wanted momentum and take early wickets but we couldn't get back in the game. They batted really well and did not give us a chance in first 10-12 overs.
“It is a little disappointing, not getting even one win out of three. But, we know as it has been done in the past as well, a few games down doesn't take away anything. It's a long tournament, we just need one win, then the momentum will be built from there.”
