Suryakumar Yadav keen to make Indian cricket team comeback
What's the story
Mumbai captain Suryakumar Yadav is determined to make a strong comeback into the Indian cricket team. After being dropped from the T20I side earlier this year, he returned to action with an explosive half-century against Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored an unbeaten 60 off just 21 balls, helping his team chase down a target of 173 with seven wickets and 41 balls to spare.
Passion reignited
The same hunger is back now: Suryakumar
After the match in Kolkata, Suryakumar expressed his disappointment at not being selected for India's next series after the IPL.
"The same hunger that I had to play for India is back now," he said, as per Cricinfo.
He added, "I want to play for the country again, so I have to knock down the [selectors'] door."
His intent was clear as he batted aggressively at a strike rate of 285.71.
Comeback strategy
Suryakumar worked on various aspects of his game
Suryakumar emphasized his intent to make a comeback, saying, "When you have that target in mind to play for India, you work in one direction and bat in a disciplined way."
He revealed he has worked on various aspects of his game, from mental strength to technical skills.
The Mumbai captain also spoke about how T20 cricket has evolved over the years, with higher scores becoming the norm.
Game evolution
My approach has been a high-risk-high-reward game: Suryakumar
Suryakumar said, "Playing the high-risk-high-reward game has been my approach in the middle overs but now I'm trying to take even more risk to hit more fours and sixes."
He stressed that this format is all about boundaries and sixes.
The Mumbai captain also revealed his plan was inspired by a scene from the Hindi movie MS Dhoni: The Untold Story where friends advised hitting sixes where selectors are sitting.
IPL stint
More than captaincy, this responsibility is about respect
In his last official outing, Suryakumar scored 270 runs in 13 innings for Mumbai Indians (MI) during the IPL in May.
He also played local Mumbai T20 League in June and club cricket before being appointed as Mumbai's T20 captain.
"More than captaincy, this responsibility is about respect," he said, adding that he had not played any cricket after losing his place in the Indian team post-IPL.