Suryakumar Yadav - Runs at Wankhede, in a Winning Cause and a Moment of Reprieve
Surya slammed 43 vs KKR at Wakhede (AP Photo)
Social media is an entertaining and exhilarating space if you have a spring in your step and are going in the right direction of life.
If things are going well for you.
But when they’re not, and are struggling, they come as hard as you as a blood-sucking monster.
For the past several weeks, the trollers and bashers, the pests and the habitual shouters were coming really hard at Suryakumar Yadav.
They were snacking on him. Some even feasting off his failures with the bat.
And it’s not that there weren’t any failures. A string of low scores, and single-digit outings that often yielded a golden duck (dismissal off the first-ever delivery) hounded Suryakumar Yadav.
Life, both on the pitch and off it, was rather unremarkable.
But one wonders, what are they, who always have so much to speak going to do tonight?
What one further wonders is what will they, who habitually rant and feed off others’ failures, hiding behind the curtain of insult going to do tonight.
While critics- not irrational bashers- may certainly feel that a 43 is no sizzling feat with the bat, those who were close witnesses of the sheer stretch of failures that troubled Suryakumar Yadav will contend with the fact that it was a much-needed respite.
A massive break away from a remorseful period of scoring where there were less of scores and more recurring failures.
Surely, Suryakumar Yadav, 43 in a winning cause for his Mumbai off just 25 did something alright at Mumbai Indians’ home ground.
And what a place to regain the lost confidence and not just the runs.
You are tempered to draw parallels with the magnificent and lofty achievements bagged by his countrymen back in 2011 on a truly unforgettable evening.
Completely out of touch with the bat, MS Dhoni, then captain of the victorious World Cup winning side had promoted himself up the order despite knowing well that not a lot was going right for him.
What followed was a determined knock, a product of sheer self-belief. The Sri Lankan bowlers were bettered to all parts of the ground. And a six launched India over the ropes with euphoric excitement and towards the much-deserving World Cup victory.
Many many summers later, a man totally out of sorts and so desperately looking for runs came out to bat for Mumbai.
Dhoni had fired for India back then. Surya fired for Mumbai today. Both innings on the same ground. Both during a run chase with both efforts seeing the prime doer of things caught up in a desperate situation with readily served criticism flowing from all directions.
But whether Suryakumar Yadav promoted himself up the order from his habitual spot in the middle order is subject to debate and something that’s rather abstruse.
Nonetheless, that it was the right decision can be fathomed now the result can be seen.
Evidently at ease and not going after anything too haywire, which was often the case in the previous efforts, Suryakumar Yadav took his time.
He eschewed the desire to blast into some mind boggling stoke.
The gaps were explored, the ones taken and the grounded strokes executed with some thoughtfulness.
To his good fortune, he didn’t get any unplayable delivery first up immediately upon arrival to the wicket. This helped. It always does.
In the end, there was something achieved. Well, given what the Mumbai man had seen in the last few weeks, the 43 at a crisp scoring rate was an achievement.
A rather timely one at that and at last!
Though, the affable man ought to remember that this isn’t it. And it’s no more than just a new beginning. Now that he seems to have found some lost touch, it’s up to him to throw it away or make it count like this memorable Wankhede evening effort of April 16.
Keep going, Sky!
 "Dev Tyagi")