Suryakumar Yadav was the latest member of the squad to address the pre-match press conference, this time ahead of our clash against the Lucknow Super Giants on April 16th.

He answered a number of questions - about his batting position, his comeback from injury and how impressed he is with the youngsters in the team.

After mostly batting in the top-order over the past couple of years, SKY has walked in at no. 4 and no.5 for us in the three games he has played so far and he felt it was simple for him to adapt.

“It is the management’s call to decide my position. I am flexible to bat at no.3, 4, 5 or 6. I have been playing for a long time, it’s situational for me now. It matters what situation I am batting in, not the position,” stated SKY.

Like all of us, he is also impressed with the performances of young guns Dewald Brevis and Tilak Varma, who have played momentum-shifting knocks and have shown the ability to rebuild the innings when needed.

“You can see how Dewald and Tilak have done. We are building this team for the next few years and down the line, you will see some great players. They have come to one of the best teams because the management is great. I do not need to give them any advice, they have been doing a wonderful job. They are playing in a positive manner, I wish I had some of those shots at that age!” exclaimed SKY.

The batter also joined the team late as he was recovering from a finger fracture and as can be seen from his knocks, has bounced back from it admirably. He felt it was all about the mental attitude.

“No one likes an injury, your mindset is important at that time, it is a mental game. I talked to a lot of people, including Rohit - who has had finger injuries before. I knew I will be ready when I come back,” noted SKY.

And what does he have to say about his consistency?

“I worked very hard to get that. I mean everyone works hard, but it is about mapping out your journey. I try to simulate match situations during practice, so when I play it becomes easier for me,” he said.

With no wins thus far, the team may feel downbeat but SKY reassured us that there was no let-down in the motivation levels or mindset.

“This has happened before. We are taking things positively, winning or losing is part of the game. It’s about hard work, about the time you spend with coaches and family. There is always self-motivation when playing for MI and everyone is trying their best. We will surely catch up,” said SKY.

SKY’s energetic presence is certainly indicative of the team’s mood and it will be exciting to see how we reproduce that on the field against LSG.