Suryakumar Yadav, who played a match-winning knock for Mumbai Indians (MI) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 1 of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has won praise from his skipper Rohit Sharma who rates him as one of the side's best batsmen against spin.
Suryakumar's unbeaten knock of 71, which came off just 54 balls on a sub-standard Chinnaswamy track, ensured Mumbai Indians sailed into the finals as they defeated the defending champions by six wickets on Tuesday.
"He's (Surya) probably one of our best batsmen against spin. We knew the spin threat they possess will be a huge factor. Surya plays spin very well. I have seen him at close quarters. The shots he plays behind the wicket, those are not easy shots. I always knew he was going to come good at some stage," Rohit said after the match in the post-match presentation ceremony.
On a pitch which turned, CSK managed only 131 for 4 off 20 overs and MI crossed the line with nine balls to spare.
Suryakumar, who was named the Player of the Match, said he tried to play along the ground and not hit the ball in the air as the pitch was turning.
"It was very important for someone in the top three or four to bat till the end because the wicket was slow and turning. After first innings, I saw what happened, not too many players were able to hit the shots in the air," said Surya.
"So I wanted to play down the ground, pick singles and doubles. I had the chat after first innings that someone from the top-order will have to play towards the end because it won't be easy for players coming in later," he added.
The MI skipper also praised his bowlers for restricting a quality side like CSK to as minimum as possible. "It was important to restrict them to as little as possible, because it can get tricky against their quality spinners."
"We knew MS was going to be crucial towards the end. We had plans laid out. When you restrict a team like that under 140, it looks very good. Credit to our bowlers for executing that," he added.
Rohit further said his call to included Jayant Yadav in the side paid off. "It was a call we had to make, knowing they have quite a few right-handers in their squad. Jayant is a quality bowler. I thought that a finger-spinner can be more effective than a wristie," he said.
The Mumbai skipper also pointed out that the reason they won in Chennai was because of a balanced XI.
"We've got a balanced squad. Whatever the conditions are, we've got the squad for them. Have the balance we need on that kind of pitch. Even the batters are confident in what they want to execute. That's probably one of the reasons we've had some success in Chennai because we play the conditions well and understand the conditions well," he said.
--IANS
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