Suryakumar Yadav credits Mumbai Indians return for his rise in Indian cricket

According to Suryakumar Yadav, his return to the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018 has played a vital role in his rise to the Indian cricket team.

Yadav feels the franchise's immense support and skipper Rohit Sharma's faith helped him succeed in the IPL, which culminated in his maiden India call-up.

Suryakumar Yadav started his IPL journey with the Mumbai Indians in 2011. He spent three seasons with them but couldn't make an impact due to lack of opportunities.

Yadav was subsequently taken on board by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, where he played the finisher's role. Three years later, he returned to MI and earned a spot in the top order.

Suryakumar Yadav has brought his A-game to the table since getting the promotion. He has breached the 400-run landmark in each of the last three IPL seasons, leading to his maiden national call-up for the England T20I series.

Talking about the Mumbai Indians management's role in his success, Yadav told Sports Today:

"I think their (Mumbai Indians) support has been immense. I still remember when I came back to MI from KKR in 2018... my role at KKR was completely different, I used to bat lower down the order and play the finisher's role. But at MI, the plan was crystal clear, they wanted me to bat higher up the order, they gave me that responsibility, they gave me that challenge to go out and express fearlessly. I started batting at No. 4, I also got an opportunity to open."

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I just followed Hardik and Krunal and saw what they do on off days and matchdays: Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav with Hardik Pandya (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

During the same interview, Suryakumar Yadav spoke at length about his Mumbai Indians teammates.

Yadav keenly observed the schedules of the international players in the squad and tried to follow them. Besides, the right-handed batsman also highlighted MI skipper Rohit Sharma's role in his success.

"Talking about all the players, starting from the captain, he (Rohit) has shown a lot of faith in me. Hardik and Krunal, have already played for India. So I just followed them and saw what they do on off days and match days. There are a lot of small, small points that I grabbed from these players," Suryakumar Yadav concluded.