Apr 15, 2022, 5:20 PM IST
It has been a rugged start for the record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. In the five matches it has played so far, MI stays winless, while it takes on new team Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 26 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav is not concerned about MI’s rough start.
During the pre-match press conference on Friday, Surya stated, “It is still a champion team. It’s not ‘used to be’. It is still a champion team, and it will always be a champion team. It’s just a matter of a few games. The people who have joined in are going well. I feel very happy for them, Dewald, Tilak. I feel they have taken responsibility since the first game. They’ve been excellent. And, I’m sure they’re going to make it big.”
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“I think we’re playing some good cricket from Game 1, and there’s no situation like panicking for a team like Mumbai Indians. We’ve been following good processes in the past few years, and we’re just sticking to it. We’ll eventually get our first win if we keep doing it. We have to keep working hard towards our goal together, which we are doing in practice sessions. That’s about it,” added Surya.
Speaking on his consistent performance despite coming back from an injury, he reckoned, “No one likes getting injured. But, what’s important is what you do when you have the injury and how your mindset is at that time, and what you want to do on your comeback. It’s a mental game. It’s how you prepare yourself. I spoke to many people, including our captain Rohit, because he has also had finger injuries. I asked him what he used to do at that time, how he covered his training, and how much time it took him to recover. The main thing was about my batting, which shots can I play and which I couldn’t. I worked well on that, and I knew that when I came back, I’ll be ready. I’ll pick up from where I left off.”
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“I feel quality hard work is essential. Everyone works hard, but how you work hard and how you want to go ahead, that path should already be set in your mind. Then, you’ll move towards the correct goal. I have done only one or two things always. When I practice, I try to put myself in such situations that it’s easier for me when it’s match time. Of course, every game has pressure, so I try to put myself under pressure in practice sessions. When I play the match, it’s better,” concluded Surya.