Advertisement

Updated September 29th, 2021 at 15:26 IST

IPL 2021: Brian Lara tells Suryakumar and Kishan to 'forget World Cup' and focus on MI

PBKS vs MI: Brian Lara urged both players to "forget about World Cup" and instead put their entire focus on helping Mumbai Indians win the competition.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
IPL 2021, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, IPL, Mumbai Indians, Brian Lara, Saurabh Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, PBKS vs MI
Image: PTI | Image:self
Advertisement

Former West Indies legend Brian Lara feels that Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are resting on their past laurels and are not showing enough appetite to perform for Mumbai Indians ever since their selection in India's T20 World Cup squad. Lara, while speaking on Star Sports, said Yadav and Kishan must take the responsibility and perform for Mumbai Indians first before starting to dream about playing for India in the upcoming World Cup. Lara added that IPL is where they earn their "bread and butter" and it is because of their past performances in the league that they have been included in the national squad. 

Lara said that Yadav and Kishan have to be a little bit more professional now and help their side win the tournament. Lara urged both players to "forget about World Cup" and instead put their entire focus on helping Mumbai Indians win the competition. Yadav and Kishan have so far failed to replicate their last year's form in the ongoing IPL 2021. Yadav has scored only 16 runs in the four matches that he has played for Mumbai Indians since the resumption of IPL 2021 in the UAE. Kishan, on the other hand, was dropped from the starting XI due to his poor run with the bat as he has scored only 34 runs since returning to the competition on September 19. 

Saurabh Tiwary replaced Kishan in Mumbai's final XI ahead of their last night's fixture against Punjab Kings. Tiwary was included in the squad for his performance against Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of the second leg in UAE, where he remained unbeaten at 50. Tiwary scored 45 off 37 balls against Punjab and finished the game as Mumbai's highest run-scorer. Mumbai Indians registered their first win of IPL 2021 phase two as they beat Punjab by 6 wickets. 

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav's career

Ishan Kishan had made his international debut earlier this year when he featured in the T20I series against England in March. Kishan displayed some superb form in the series, scoring a magnificent half-century in his very first international game. Kishan was then included in the Indian squad for a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, where he carried his good form from the England series and scored a half-century in his ODI debut. Kishan has been awarded a call-up for the T20 World Cup, where he has been included ahead of star Indian batters, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan. 

Suryakumar Yadav made his international debut against the same side as Ishan Kishan and impressed everyone by scoring a half-century in the first opportunity he received. Yadav then carried his form to Sri Lanka, where he scored a couple of 40 plus scores to impress the selectors, which resulted in him receiving his maiden Test call-up. Yadav's impressive form also earned him a spot in India's T20 World Cup squad.  

Image: PTI

Advertisement

Published September 29th, 2021 at 15:26 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo