Following four straight losses, the Mumbai Indians (MI) brightened the mood in the dressing room on Monday as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) seven wickets to one at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The triumph was fueled by a remarkable century from Suryakumar Yadav.
MI was struggling at 31 for 3 after SRH had reached 173 for 8, but Surya’s counterattack saw him hit 51 balls for 102 not out, including 6 sixes and 12 fours, which deflated the SRH bowling attack with his 360-degree batting.
Earlier in the SRH innings, MI captain Hardik Pandya (3 for 31) and seasoned legspinner Piyush Chawla (3 for 33) topped the bowling charts with three wickets apiece to restrict the visitors. Only Travis Head’s 48 off 30 balls and captain Pat Cummins’s 17-ball cameo of 35 not out allowed the visitors to reach a competitive total.
With a match-winning six off the second ball of the 17th over, Surya completed his century, leaving the commentators in utter awe of his T20 batting abilities.
Surya remarked, “I have done this after a long time,” during the post-match ceremony. “I fielded for 20 overs and batted for 18 overs, only tired.”
According to skipper Hardik, Surya’s knock was “unbelievable”.
It’s incredible! SKY’s greatest quality is his ability to exert pressure on the bowlers. It’s pure assurance…He has the ability to alter games in unique ways. We’re lucky to have him on our team,” Hardik remarked following the game.
Mumbai’s chances of making the playoffs in the current IPL are merely theoretically alive, but Surya’s real test will come on June 2 at the T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies.
In the unlikely event that MI miss the playoffs, Surya will have time to recuperate and recommit himself to the high-profile T20 competition. India’s campaign will start on June 5 in New York with a group encounter against Ireland, and on June 9 at the same location, they will play their major match against Pakistan.
The other two teams in India’s group are the co-hosts, USA and Canada.