Franchise’s prolific run-scorer set to return following a restoration from a wrist damage
Suryakumar was on the NCA for rehabilitation for over three weeks within the lead as much as the IPL, and is now set to return to motion for the primary time in over a month.
“Yes, he is [available],” Mumbai’s director of cricket operations Zaheer stated on Friday. “He has been practicing, so that [him playing] is something which we are all eagerly waiting for.”
Subsequent is the query of the place he would bat. For India, Suryakumar has most performed at No. 5 or No. 6, the place he has been one of many designated finishers. At Mumbai, although, he has been a phenomenon at No. 3 since 2018.
On this four-year interval, he has amassed 1733 runs for them at a strike charge of 137. Out of his 58 innings since, 39 have come at No. 3, the place he has hit seven of his 12 half-centuries. Will that imply he continues to play an analogous position?
“There is a possibility depending on the opposition we are playing and the conditions we are playing in,” Zaheer stated on the prospect of Suryakumar being a finisher, like he’s with the Indian staff. “We might opt for those kind of options, but at the end the decision is pretty much [to] stick with whatever has been working for us and whatever a player can bring in in terms of maximum impact.”
“To have that kind of a flexibility is always an advantage,” Zaheer added. “Tactically you will have that advantage, and that’s how we are also looking at it.”
In the meantime, Mumbai’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan too was given the go forward to take the sphere towards Royals after he was struck on his toe by a Shardul Thakur yorker on Sunday. Kishan was thus compelled to go for a scan when Mumbai took the sphere to defend their whole, with Aryan Juyal taking on the gloves. It was solely after 9 overs that he returned to maintain wicket.
“He is absolutely fine,” Zaheer stated. “We’ve taken the necessary actions, [it was] just on the precautionary side whatever was required. He has been practicing and training regularly. We had a gap in between, so that obviously helped him as well to prepare for this game. He’s fully fit and available.”
Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
