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SKY came and said 'no': Rohit Sharma reveals how Suryakumar Yadav thwarted MI's left-right combination plan
Rohit Sharma praised Suryakumar Yadav's confidence in rejecting MI's batting plan and then going on to smash an unbeaten century in IPL 2023.
Suryakumar Yadav was in blistering form in Match 57 of IPL 2023, as he kept Mumbai Indians in contention for the playoffs, with a stunning unbeaten ton at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing a target of 219 runs, Gujarat Titans could only reach 191/8 in 20 overs, despite an unbeaten knock of 79 runs off 32 balls by Rashid Khan. Meanwhile, Akash Madhwal took three wickets, Piyush Chawla and Kumar Kartikeya bagged two dismissals each as MI won by 27 runs.
Initially, MI posted 218/5 in 20 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten century by Suryakumar. The India star hammered 103* off 49 balls, packed with 11 fours and six sixes, at a strike rate of 210.20. For GT's bowling department, Rashid took four wickets.
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It was also Suryakumar's maiden IPL century. Speaking after the match, MI captain Rohit Sharma lauded the 32-year-old batter, and also revealed how he rejected his team's batting plans. "Honestly, it's just the confidence Surya has got. At the start of the tournament, we were debating if we need a left-right combination, Surya said no, 'I want to go in'," he said.
"That's the kind of confidence he brings and it rubs off on the guys who are batting with him. There's no looking back. Good thing is every game he's wanting to start fresh. Which is nice for a cricketer to think like that. Sometimes you can sit back and be very proud about it, but that's not the case with him," he further added.
After his hurricane knock, Suryakumar has now registered the third highest individual score for MI. Sanath Jayasuriya (114*) leads the pack, followed by Rohit Sharma (109*). Suryakumar went past Sachin Tendulkar (100*) and Lendl Simmons (100*) to third position. Meanwhile, Mumbai have two matches remaining in the league phase. They are well-placed for the playoffs, and are third in the points table with 14 points in 12 matches, including seven wins and five defeats.
