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Suryakumar Yadav’s Comeback after a Duck against DC
Suryakumar Yadav’s comeback to the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad for their IPL 2024 match against the Delhi Capitals on April 7 after missing the first three matches of the season. The explosive batter was seen as a game-changing player for MI, which is reeling under the pressure of three consecutive defeats this season. Suryakumar had been at the National Cricket Academy and was working on speeding up his recovery. On April 3, he would receive the clean chit to play in the IPL 2024 season. Mumbai Indians fans were expecting Suryakumar Yadav to display some fireworks at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. However, Delhi Capitals pacer Anrich Nortje dismissed the explosive batter for a duck.
Fans’ Claim on his Duck and Understanding his Issues
The crowd at Wankhede Stadium went silent as Suryakumar Yadav made his way back to the pavilion. Suryakumar Yadav started trending on X (formerly Twitter). The fans were quick to connect it with Hardik Pandya’s leadership and claimed that Suryakumar Yadav is not happy playing under the new Mumbai Indians skipper. Some fans sounded understanding and pointed out that the batter is making a comeback to cricket after four months. Suryakumar Yadav replaced Naman Dhir on Sunday and was expected to play the role of anchor to steer the MI innings against DC. Captain Hardik Pandya confirmed Suryakumar Yadav’s comeback, replacing Naman Dhir. Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepherd have also come into the side for the clash.
MI’s Strong Start
“Three changes for us: Surya is back; he replaces Naman. Romario replaces Mapakha, and Nabi is in; he replaces Brevis,” said Hardik Pandya. It wasn’t the comeback SKY would have anticipated when he made his return to cricket action with the MI today, as he was dismissed on a second-ball duck against DC. Suryakumar has a decent record against DC in his IPL career, scoring 352 runs in 18 matches against Delhi. The toss was won by DC, and they opted to bowl first in Mumbai. MI had a strong start against DC, with former skipper Rohit Sharma slamming back-to-back sixes to complete 1,000 runs and punishing DC pacers before losing his wicket on an individual score of 49.
Young opener Ishan Kishan continued Rohit Sharma‘s campaign as he kept smashing some beautiful boundaries against Delhi bowlers. Delhi Capitals hit Mumbai Indians with back-to-back wickets to slow down the Hardik Pandya-led team, but explosive finishers Tim David and Romario Shepherd provided the team with big death overs to finish at 234/5 after 20 overs.
Suryakumar Yadav’s last appearance
Suryakumar Yadav’s comeback faced a delivery by Anrich Nortje but struggled to manage an inside edge, sending the ball high in the air. Jake Fraser-McGurk made a catch with both hands overhead, dismissing the batter early in the inning. Suryakumar Yadav’s last appearance was in December, when he picked up an ankle injury during a 100-run run off 56 balls in the third T20I in Johannesburg. He underwent surgeries for both his ankle and a sports hernia, missing the T20I series against Afghanistan in January, which was India’s final international assignment before the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.