Whether it has been domestic cricket or IPL, Suryakumar Yadav has established his prominence with the bat time and again.

After getting a couple of good starts in the ongoing Dream11 IPL, he upped his game with the bat on Tuesday against the Rajasthan Royals. Right from anchoring the innings to going bonkers at the backend, his 79* (47) turned out to be a match-winning knock for MI.

Not only did Surya register his highest individual score in IPL but he was also awarded the Man of the Match. Mumbai Indians climbed to the top position on the points table following his heroics.

Suryakumar interacted with the media as he shared his thoughts about the scintillating innings, aiming for a spot in the national squad and the new batting skills added to his armoury before the season.

Coming into the tournament, what were the preparations in Mumbai with monsoon around?

Surya: "I think that was the first step coming into this tournament. Players coming together during that situation and practising in that crisis. I think that has helped us mentally, coming into the tournament. Finally, when we came here, we were mentally prepared for how we would go about in this tournament. The environment created by Mumbai Indians was good for the players who were unsure what will happen when they resume cricket. It helped us well mentally and physically."

What was your interaction with Bumrah, Rohit and Hardik going into the season?

Surya: "I think they have always been mentally strong. I have played a lot of domestic cricket with Rohit and even Jasprit when he was just starting his career. They have also played cricket without the crowd a lot of times, so it wasn't that difficult for them. They just pass on the same message to me as well. Whenever you play, just think about what you do right. Follow your process and routines. Just go about it and think about nothing else."

Can you talk us through that six off Jofra Archer after the bouncer struck your head?

Surya: "I think that was one of the best moments of the game. Hardik was there at the other end and he was like, this is the time. Let's try and do something different. I just asked him, what do you feel the bowler will try with this field? He was like Jofra may hit a yorker. So I got prepared for that. That is one of the shots which I was practising during the lockdown back home. Without thinking about anything else, I just tried and executed. It worked out well and I was really happy about that."

After knocks like these, how much does it raise your hopes of being picked for Team India?

Surya: "I feel good that I contributed and the team was victorious. I felt I was batting well from the last 3-4 games and even during practise sessions, I was doing well. I backed myself and I just thought this knock was coming and it had to come today or tomorrow. Since the last two or three years, I have been batting well in white-ball tournaments, domestic cricket and even the IPL. So I'm looking forward to that break coming up soon."

What conversations do you have with Rohit Sharma before and after the game?

Surya: "He has been amazing in international cricket since so long and a big server of Indian cricket. Whenever I sit and talk to him, I just try and grasp a lot of knowledge from how he understands his game. Since he's also a top-order batsman and now even I have started playing at the top-order. He shares the same experience of what he did when he started playing like that. Just explains to me the different situations that he has gone through. I have even tried it since 2018 when I started batting higher up for Mumbai Indians. I just followed whatever he told and trusted him blindly. So whenever we sit, maybe it's on the field or off the field, team room, in the gym, I just feel that one point which can help me to take my game one step ahead in every match. It's a great thing to have him around and to have such good backing."

What were the specific areas that you were looking to work on coming into the IPL?

Surya: "I think the game towards off-side. I just wanted to make it a little stronger as I have been playing a lot of domestic cricket as well. You can't just actually survive on one side, so you have to be good on both sides. So I just wanted to add a few more strokes in my armoury. So tomorrow if someone else plans something against me, I can counter that. I didn't want to complicate things in my batting. The stronger areas were kept the same way but just wanted to add one more feather, and go one step ahead in my batting."

How did you develop the sweep shot against fast bowlers?

Surya: "When I started playing rubber cricket with my friends during the rainy season, we used to play on hard concrete surfaces. The boundary on the off-side was about just 30-40 metres but on the leg-side, it used to be 70-80 metres. So from there, I started playing the scoop shot and that lap shot. It has all come from there, even the sweep. In rubber ball, you don't fear that much when you play a sweep or you play a lap. You know it's not going to hurt so much. So I developed that habit playing from there and it has just come into this form of cricket as well."

Injury update after getting hit on the head?

Surya: "I have been doing good. First few hours were a little disturbing but later on, all the physios and doctors around me took really good care. They were checking on me every hour, every two hours so now I'm feeling better. It's all good."

Resuming cricket after the break?

Surya: "When I initially went to the ground and started batting, a few days were difficult. For 2-3 months, there was no sport. Having a conversation with Rohit, I told him I have not been batting since the last 2-3 months and now when I have started batting, I'm not the same Surya that I felt when I batted in mid-March. So he was like just come around, pick your bat. Just try and knock around for a few days. Don't just go hard on yourself during the nets. And slowly but surely after a few days, you'll be back in the same way as you were before. He said just take everything out of your mind. Be clear in what you want. Don't think about anything else. Have that clarity in your mind and gradually I was enjoying the way I was batting, the same way I was before lockdown."

On the odd-year streak of MI winning IPL titles?

Surya: "Actually, there's nothing like that. This year, we have been playing some amazing brand of cricket. We are looking forward to changing that odd-year streak. We are taking one game at a time, not thinking about it too much. Let's see how it goes."

How do you keep going despite waiting for that Indian cap? Does it get frustrating?

Surya: "Since the last 2-3 years personally, I have matured a bit. I have a lot of clarity in my mind about what I want from the game, how I approach it and when things are going to come to me. I realized that if I keep running behind it continuously, it will keep going far. Instead of that, I just kept the focus and believed in myself, what I can do right and follow those small things properly. Just that process and routines which will help me get there. Talking about my dad, he's always very anxious whenever the Indian team is announced. Last 2-3 years have been good. I feel I have been batting well. So the big thing is just around the corner."

How have you maintained your flexibility in the batting order, batting at top-order and lower-order?

Surya: "I have enjoyed both the roles because I have kept myself flexible in the batting order. Even before when I started playing my domestic cricket in Mumbai, I was batting lower down the order. But later on, performing, again and again, they gave me a batting spot higher up the order. The same thing is related here as well. For KKR, I batted lower down the order. When I came here, they gave me the responsibility of anchoring the innings completely, right from top-order. I have been enjoying batting at the top order. But if you ask me, I'm completely flexible batting at any position."