"I cannot read Rashid, because...": Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav ahead of clash with Gujarat Titans

MI will clash against GT in their qualifier 2 clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) league on Friday at Ahmedabad. The winner of the match will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final on May 28.

In an interview with JioCinema, Suryakumar said, "I enjoyed playing against Rashid Khan. He knows what shots I can play. He has not dismissed me yet. During the match with GT, he told me that he was aware that a particular shot was coming from me. I am also clear about what shots to play against him. I cannot read Rashid, because his action is quick. But I knew of my plans and shots against him and I backed myself."

MI's batter has faced 47 balls of Rashid Khan and scored 67 runs. However, Rashid has not dismissed him in a single IPL match.

Suryakumar also shared insight about hitting a six to GT's pacer Mohammed Shami, the most dangerous bowler in this season. It will be an interesting contest between Surya and Shami in the second Qualifier match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

"I have played that shot in my brain many times. I try to play the field. At that moment, the ball was wet and they had limited options for their bowling. They needed yorkers to survive. I knew this because I have played many times with him. I have played this shot earlier, it was not that fine and I knew I could play it," he said.

When asked about his batting technique, he said, "I do not know why people say I bat like a video game. When I watch my highlights before sleeping, I feel it's normal. This is what I have done since my tennis/rubber ball days. The boundary on one side was larger and a lot of runs were scored at the back. These shots were developed back then. I have tried to replicate that at this level. While practicing, I just play normal shots."

Notably, Suryakumar Yadav clinched his maiden century in a previous match against Gujarat Titans where he had scored unbeaten 103 runs.

Talking about his first IPL century, he said, "When I got to know that I have to play longer and I had played 15-20 balls, I got in my zone. I knew which bowlers were coming later and against who I could take my chances. When I think this deep, that's when I know I'm in my zone."

Suryakumar is currently the seventh-highest run-scorer in IPL 2023. In 15 matches, he has scored 544 runs at an average of 41.84 and a strike rate of over 183. He has scored a century and four fifties, with the best score of 103*. In Indian colours, he has replicated his franchise cricket success. In 48 matches and 46 innings, he has scored 1,675 runs at an average of 46.52 and a strike rate of 175.76. He has three centuries and 13 fifties in Indian colours. He was given the ICC Male T20I Player of the Year Award 2022 for his performances in the shorter format. (ANI)