CHENNAI: Mumbai captain Aditya Tare is on a mission. He is aware that his team has not done much in the shorter formats in the last couple of years.
Tare is keen on setting that right, and has told his wards that they must win the Vijay Hazare Trophy. “I have told the boys that we must give our best shot, and take it one match at a time. I also made them aware of the fact that the IPL is two months away, and that this tournament is not a warm-up for it. I told them the focus was to play for the state.”
His words were motivational enough as Mumbai defeated Madhya Pradesh by 74 runs in their opening game, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.
Suryakumar Yadav took on responsibility to make an unbeaten 134. “I’m pleased to get this ton. This is the one tournament that we were looking forward to win in the last few years. We are determined to do well.
“The strategy was to bat as long as I could. I thought that if I stayed in the middle long enough, I could take our team to a good total. The win has given us good momentum.”
Suryakumar held fort at one end and guided his side admirably. “In this format, it is important to get around 270-300. So after getting set, I was focussed on rotating the strike. Once Jay Bista got out, I wanted to stay till the end,” explained the player who was roped in by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.2 crore.
Suryakumar’s shots that spanned the entire venue seemed to be influenced by Rohit Sharma’s style of play. “Hundred per cent. Whenever he plays for Mumbai, he shares his experiences. We learn from watching him. I have all the shots, but I stuck to low-percentage strokes. Rohit has also advised that in this format, one has lot of time to think and execute.”
So, how does he feel to be back with the Mumbai Indians after his prolonged stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders?
“Mumbai is where I belong, so it feels good to be back. My time with KKR was good. I hope the set-up is same with Mumbai; there are some big guns there. Hope they spend time with us and we have some fun.”
Suryakumar said that he had worked on his anger management, and that the fracas that had played a role in him losing Mumbai’s captaincy was a thing of the past. “I have moved on from all that. I am focussed on my game now.”
The 27-year-old was also relishing the experience of batting higher up the order. “In the past, there were a lot of seniors and I did not get an opportunity to bat higher. I want play with more responsibility and contribute to my side.”
ashok.v@newindianexpress.com