‘Just give yourself a little bit of time’ – Ravi Shastri’s advice to Suryakumar Yadav ahead of MI’s clash against DC

Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t been in great form since the ODI series against Australia. The 32-year-old registered three consecutive golden ducks in the ODI series against the Aussies. He is also struggling with form in the ongoing season of IPL as he scores just 16 runs in two matches he played in the season so far.

Former Indian cricket team coach, Ravi Shastri gave Suryakumar a piece of advice ahead of MI’s clash against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday. Shastri stated that Surya needs to be a little more patient early on in his knock if he is to find a way out of his slump in IPL 2023. Shastri believes that Surya needs just one good knock and he will be back in his form.

“There’s going to be light at the end of the tunnel, he’s going to be seeing that very soon. And when he sees that, he’s going to grab it and make the most of it,” Shastri told the Cricinfo website ahead of the match.

“So the advice to him would be, just give yourself a little bit of time early on, even though it’s T20 cricket. One good hit and you’re on your way. That’s what he needs – one good hit and a little bit of time at the crease. Not 20-30 minutes, maybe six balls or eight balls, and I think he’d be fine,” the former cricketer added.

Suryakumar is currently the number one T20I batter in the world. He was also awarded the T20I for Cricketer of the Year 2022 by the Apex Cricket Council for his sensational batting in the last year. He has scored 1675 in 48 T20I matches played for India at an average of 46.52 including three centuries.

‘Surya is an extremely talented cricketer’ – Mark Boucher

MI head coach Mark Boucher also backed Suryakumar to regain his form sooner than later.

“Surya is an extremely talented cricketer, one of the world’s best T20 players, if not the best. He has not had the weight of runs of late but he is a fantastic player. Hope he can come good for us in the near future. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. We’ll back him and try set him some new challenges to get his mind off his own game if that’s what will help him to try get some good form going into the middle and end stages of the tournament,” Boucher said.

MI will be looking to get their first win of the season after losing their first two games against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. Meanwhile, DC is also looking for their win first as they lost their three consecutive matches against Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals. The match will be played at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi