Ishan Kishan, keeper-batter of the Mumbai Indians (MI), has joked that teammate Suryakumar Yadav usually outshines him when he has a strong day with the bat.
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar were the top performers in Mumbai’s six-wicket victory against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday, May 3 in Mohali in match number 46 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. After MI set a target of 215, Kishan (75 off 41 balls) and Suryakumar (66 off 31 balls) added 116 for the third wicket as Mumbai won in 18.5 overs.
The Mumbai hitters addressed their innings and the team’s success in a post-match video broadcast on iplt20.com. During the conversation, Ishan Kishan made a funny remark:
“When you were hitting Sam Curran all over the place in one over just before the strategic timeout, I was thinking – jis din mera acha innings aata hain, us din yeh pura credit le jate hain yaar [Whenever I do well, on the same day, he takes away all the credit]. This way, people won’t talk about me.”
While Kishan was named Player of the Match, Suryakumar’s innings also drew a lot of attention. He hit Sam Curran for two sixes and two fours in the 13th over to reach his half-century.
On a more serious note, Kishan recalled Suryakumar that his aggressive batting from one end helped his case. The left-hander elaborated:
“The start was good. During the important phase, you came into bat and started playing good shots. That reduced the pressure on me. That was a big positive in the game and put me in a comfort zone. I could play my [natural] game.”
Suryakumar hit eight fours and two maximums, while Kishan blasted seven fours and four sixes.
“They put in a lot of hard work in the last 48 hours” – Suryakumar Yadav thanks physios
Kishan mentioned in the video that Suryakumar had not been feeling well for last 2 days and had been in frequent contact with the physios. There was also some doubt about his availability for the game.
Suryakumar elaborated on the subject, saying:
“I would like to thank the physios. They put in a lot of hard work in the last 48 hours to get me ready for the game, even sacrificing their sleep.”
In terms of his batting performance, the 32-year-old stated:
“I did not do anything different. It was just batting as I usually do. I wanted to play some shots and make things easier for the team.”
Before signing off, Ishan expressed his gratitude for performing well in front of his father and expressed his desire for him to attend MI’s remaining games. The southpaw added:
“I have asked him to come. The MI management has also asked him to come because the upcoming matches are very crucial for the team. I have requested him to come. Hopefully, he agrees and we win the upcoming games as well.”