'You are not away from India cap' - Suryakumar reminisces skipper's words

India batter Suryakumar Yadav has been enjoying rich form ever since he donned the India colours. However, earning the international cap was not easy for the Mumbai-born as he toiled hard in the domestic circuit for years and made a truckload of runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well.

While Suryakumar has already become a reliable cricketer for India in just a year from his debut, he was off the selectors' radar till 2020 despite constant good performances in the domestic arena.

The 31-year-old opened up about his frustration at that point in time due to continuous rejection.

"During that IPL (2020), squads for the Indian team (for Australia) were announced and I was not there. People around were saying that you ‘will be there’. So, when my name was not included, it was like, 'How did this happen?' I was playing well for the last 2-3 years. Rohit Bhai also asked me, ‘Are you disappointed?’ And I was like, ‘Kya bolu abhi?’ (What should I say?)," Suryakumar said as quoted on the YouTube show 'Breakfast with Champions'.

The veteran shared an incident of his 30th birthday when the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma predicted his future in international cricket. 

"Keep working hard, you are not away from that India cap," Rohit had said to Yadav.

"Rohit Sharma was always behind me - pushing me to work hard, he use to tell 'If you are scoring, score again in next game and then one after that also' - keep knocking that door (of selection), if it doesn't open, break it down. So, he was completely behind me," Suryakumar said on Rohit's motivating words.

Further in his interaction with Gaurav Kapur, Suryakumar talked about the famous staring altercation with Virat Kohli. The MI batter scored a match-winning 79-run knock against the Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"That's his style. His energy level on the ground is always different. And that game was extremely important for both teams so Virat's sledging was on another level in that match. I was focusing on myself, like 'boss, you cannot lose focus and have to win the match at any cost'. The ball went to him and he made that action from there and it was very instinctive.

"I remember I was chewing gum and inside my heartbeat is racing knowing that he is walking at me. He wasn't saying anything, I wasn't saying anything. I was saying to myself 'no matter what happens, do not say a word. It's a matter of 10 seconds. After this, a new over will begin. This won't last long'. So the situation passed. I then saw him right after the match," he stated.

Although the Mumbai-based franchise has been an utter disappointment this season, losing all of their six games, Suryakumar has batted like a lone warrior and is among the leading run-scorers, having 200 runs to his name in just four matches.