MUMBAI: While the win over Delhi Capitals in the last match may have calmed nerves in the Mumbai Indians’ camp, there are still teething issues they need to fine tune before they could mount a serious challenge in this edition of the IPL. One of them is helping Suryakumar Yadav find his mojo.
Surya has been among the key performers for MI over the years but at the moment his confidence is at its lowest ebb.
The right-hand batter was the first to hit the nets on Saturday afternoon and spent a good half-an-hour fine tuning his game in sweltering conditions at the Wankhede Stadium as MI prepared to face Kolkata Knight Riders in an afternoon start on Sunday.
Surya had a torrid time in the field against the Capitals and misjudged a straight chance which ended up hit- ting just above his left eye. And while batting, got out for a golden duck when he hit a shortish leg-side delivery straight to the fielder at fine leg. Surya in his pomp had put many such balls into the stands.
So far in the IPL, he has looked twitchy whenever he has walked out to bat and circumspect while playing the shots that have brought him success over the last few years.
Those three consecutive golden ducks against Australia during the ODI series a couple of months ago are still playing on his mind and in turn affecting his performances with his scores in the first three matches of the season reading: 15, 1, 0.
On Sunday, he returns to the Wankhede — where he scored the first of his three ducks against the Aussies last month — to face his former franchise KKR against whom he has scored 337 runs in nine matches with the help of three half-.centuries.
While the recent bad memories will linger somewhere in his thoughts, but then there will be good ones as well of him playing some scintillating innings for MI and Mum- bai on his home turf.
