"To have that kind of flexibility is always an advantage" - MI's Zaheer Khan doesn't mind playing Suryakumar Yadav as a finisher

In good news for the Mumbai Indians (MI), star players Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have both recovered from injuries and are available for selection, confirmed their Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan.

While Kishan suffered a knock on his left toe and had to go for scans during MI’s opening fixture against the Delhi Capitals (DC) last week, Surya missed the first match after injuring his finger during the recent home series against the West Indies. However, Zaheer Khan affirmed that both will be seen in action against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) tomorrow.

“He’s [Kishan] absolutely fine. We’ve taken the necessary actions, whatever required to be done on the precautionary side. He has been practising regularly, he’s been training regularly. We had a gap in between, so that obviously helped him as well to prepare for this game and he’s fully fit and available... Yes he [Surya] is available. He’s been practising, so that is something we are all eagerly waiting for. And in terms of his availability for the next game, yes he is,” Zaheer told reporters at the pre-match press conference.

Kishan was struck by a Shardul Thakur yorker in the 18th over of MI’s innings. Although he finished unbeaten on 81 off 48 deliveries, substitute Aryan Juyal donned the wicketkeeping gloves for the first nine overs until the 23-year-old returned, much to the delight of the Mumbai fraternity.

Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, was undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and checked into the hotel of the five-time IPL champions as late as March 26. He started training only yesterday.

Surya, who was retained for INR 8 crore, developed a new penchant for finishing off matches during the home international season. In the three-match T20I series against the Windies, the 31-year-old manned the middle order and racked up 107 runs at an average of 53.50 and an incredible strike rate of 194.55.

Asked if MI are considering him for a similar role, sending Kieron Pollard ahead of him, Zaheer Khan remained tight-lipped while underlining the importance of having a fluid line-up.

“To have that kind of flexibility is always an advantage, for any team. So tactically, you will have that advantage and that’s how we are also looking at it. There is a possibility, depending on the position we are in, depending on the conditions we are playing in, we might opt for those kind of options. But at the moment, the discussion is pretty much to stick with whatever has been working for us and whatever a player can bring in, in terms of maximum impact,” he said in response to a Sportskeeda query.

Ishan Kishan will continue to open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma, while Suryakumar Yadav is likely to replace Anmolpreet Singh at No. 3.

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“We are looking for that first win of 2022” – Zaheer Khan

Captains Rohit Sharma (L) and Sanju Samson (R) will lock horns with each other on Saturday [Credits: MI]

The last time Mumbai won their first match of an IPL season was way back in 2012. Last Sunday, they were walloped by DC as Lalit Yadav (48* off 38) and Axar Patel (38* off 17) stitched a sensational 75-run seventh-wicket stand to pull off a heist.

Zaheer Khan, though, isn’t worried too much by the upset. Acknowledging that there’s still a long way to go, he stated that Rohit Sharma and Co. are determined to get off the blocks.

“It’s a long tournament, right? So you have to keep the mood upbeat, still very early days I would say. So that’s how the whole camp is looking at it. The intensity, the preparation, the way everyone is going about doing their business, have been fantastic. So yeah, we are looking for that first win of 2022,” the 43-year-old remarked.

The Mumbai Indians are currently languishing in the ninth place, above the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), while RR are sitting at the top of the table.

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