"With his inclusion, there will be less pressure on Pollard" - Ravi Shastri on the significance of Suryakumar Yadav for MI in IPL 2022

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri feels that Suryakumar Yadav’s return to the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) playing XI will reduce the immense pressure on Kieron Pollard. According to Shastri, the West Indian looked under the pump against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their first IPL match, knowing he did not have much batting support in the lower order.

Having recovered from his finger injury, Suryakumar joined the MI squad ahead of the franchise’s clash against DC. He has completed his mandatory quarantine and is eligible for selection for Saturday’s IPL 2022 encounter against RR.

Speaking about Suryakumar’s importance to the Mumbai batting unit, particularly in the wake of their revamped side, Shastri told ESPNCricinfo:

“With his inclusion, there will be less pressure on Pollard. Without Krunal, Hardik (Pandya) and Surya, there is too much pressure on Pollard. Even the opponents know that he is under pressure. In the last game, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed him cheaply. His early wicket can make a difference of 20-30 runs.”

Hailing Suryakumar for his match-winning abilities, the former India all-rounder said about the 31-year-old batter:

“Everyone else can do Surya Namaskar as he is back in the Mumbai side. He is a 360-degree player. With Krunal and Hardik not there, his role is even more important. He has the experience and the quality. When he comes off, his strike rate is superb.”

According to the 59-year-old, openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will have a very important role to play if Mumbai have to do well in IPL 2022. Shastri explained:

“They have opened for MI before and have batted together at the top. I firmly believe, if any team has to win the IPL, the openers have to play a significant role. At least one of the two need to fire. If Rohit doesn’t do well, then Ishan must and vice-versa. The history of IPL shows that openers have played a big role in their team’s wins.”

Ishan smacked an unbeaten 81 off 48 balls in Mumbai’s opening encounter against Delhi, while Rohit scored 41 in 32 deliveries. However, DC won the contest by chasing down a target of 178 runs.

“MI will not take them lightly” - Ravi Shastri feels RR will give Mumbai a tough fight

While Rajasthan have been among the weaker IPL franchises in recent seasons, Shastri feels the current Sanju Samson-led outfit has a more robust feel. He opined:

“If we look at RR’s team, apart from Jos Buttler, they have Sanju Samson and two good left-handers in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal at the top. They have a good bowling attack as well and MI will not take them lightly.”

Rajasthan began their IPL 2022 journey in commanding fashion, thumping the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 61 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune.