NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians’ ace batsman Surya Kumar Yadav talks to The Daily Guardian in an exclusive chat about his batting, influences, and his experiences with the game so far. Excerpts:
Q. You’d written in your Twitter feed that everything comes to you at the perfect time. Was this tweet suggesting anything about your selection in the team India?
A. I’d tweeted that long back and I don’t think I was suggesting anything about the selection. It’s the philosophy of my life that once you work hard for the things that are in your hand, you’ll eventually be successful. Hard work is the key, the only thing that’s in my hands is to evolve and improve.
Q. You had a great IPL season in Dubai, and you made timely contributions to your team. How was the experience?
A. I believe whenever you play any big tournament, you learn a lot. I have also learnt many things from IPL 13. The victory was a liberating experience, but what was more enlightening was the time you spend with other great players. You win or lose, that is the part of the game, but you keep on learning and improving simultaneously.
Q. Are you upset about the fact that you were not selected for the Australian tour despite performing brilliantly throughout the IPL tournament? Your technique has also evolved, tell us about your play.
A. I do not think I was disappointed, I used to bat well whenever the team needed. I was scoring runs. The only thing in my hands was to work hard. When it comes to technique, I have seen great players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul. They also play in a very decent and orthodox style and can score runs all over the park. So it is the process, I pay more attention to my technique
Q. Despite giving your best, and contributing a major chunk to Mumbai Indians’ game, you were not selected in the Australian tour, how do you see that?
A. Selection is not in our hands. I put all the effort into the things which are in our hands. I have always dreamt of playing for India, and I believe it is a dream which you can only realize only after working hard and focusing on evolution and improvement. Rest, as you sow, so shall you reap. I believe hard work gets paid back.
Q. Rohit Sharma spoke to you after the team was announced, did your exclusion from the list make you feel sad?
A. Of course I am a human being, it was at such a time that I was expecting my name, but it did not happen. I was in the gym and Rohit was also there, so he asked me if I was disappointed. I said that I slightly am. Because you somewhat feel bad whenever you expect and your expectations do not materialize. But again, I want to focus on my game. I want to focus on the things only which are in my hands.
Q. Tell us about the celebration that went viral. And also, there are rumours Virat offered you a cup of tea in the ground. Tell us something about that.
A. That knock was very comforting for me, and the celebration was spontaneous. However, what happened in the field was inspiring. I have always looked up to batsmen like Virat Kohli, we exchanged a look, and he gave out an aggressive and dominating vibe. But that inspired me. I have learnt how to stay focused in the field watching batsmen like Virat Kohli.
Q. Everyone wants to know is what is the magic behind Rohit’s captaincy, what is the atmosphere like in the dressing room that the team always becomes the champion?
A. The freedom that our team management and owners have given to the captain is what made the difference. Moreover, the quarantine time all the players spent together gave us room to introspect keenly into our game. The quarantine phase was very vital for us.
‘‘Whenever you play a big tournament, you learn a lot. I learnt many things from IPL-13. The victory was a liberating experience, but what was more enlightening was the time you spend with other great players. You win or lose, that is the part of the game, but you keep on learning.”