Mumbai Indians star Suryakumar Yadav recalled the intense moment he had with former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli during the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League. IPL 2020 happened behind closed doors in the UAE. Mumbai Indians won the trophy that year. RCB seemed like serious contenders but lost in the playoffs.
On the road to the IPL 2020 playoffs, there was a close match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians. MI emerged victorious in that contest thanks to a fantastic knock under pressure from their star batter Suryakumar Yadav.
Many fans would know that Virat Kohli was very active in terms of sledging when he was the captain. One of the players who received that treatment from Kohli in the IPL was Suryakumar. During the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli had a moment of stare with Yadav.
Recalling that incident during a chat with Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast with Champions, Suryakumar said:
“His energy on ground is always on another level. That game was important for both sides to win. So his sledging too was on another level. I was telling myself, ‘I have to keep my focus and win this game no matter what.’ The stare was instinctive. I was chewing gum but inside I was terrified.”
Suryakumar Yadav pleaded himself not to reply anything to Virat Kohli
While Yadav was terrified for a second, inside in his mind, he thought that he should not give a response to Virat Kohli. He remained cool in the end and guided the Mumbai Indians home in a crucial match.
The spotlight was on Yadav in that match because the Indian squad for the 2020 Australian tour was announced around that time and the MI player was not picked despite his consistent show.
