In Suyakumar Yadav, they have got a fantastic T20 batter – Sanjay Manjrekar on MI’s Batting

Sanjay Manjrekar opined that the batting lineup of Mumbai Indians did not perform at their best during the first phase of the IPL. He believes that the pitches of the UAE might help the batters to turn that around.

The Mumbai Indians started the season with a series of sub-par totals below 160 runs. It seemed like they were finally finding their rhythm back towards the middle of the league stage when the first phase came to a sudden end.

Manjrekar lauded the ability of the Mumbai Indians to stay in contention for a top-four spot despite being inconsistent with the bat.

In an Instagram session,the former India batsman said,”Many a times, they batted first and didn’t get enough runs on the board. The batting has not really clicked as much as it could. It shows the greatness of Mumbai that despite that, they still have enough ability to get into the top-four.”

The 56-year-old added that the pace on the pitches in the UAE should help Mumbai Indians’ batters, especially a big hitter like Hardik Pandya.

“The big worry for Mumbai was Hardik Pandya’s form. But I think, this half being played in UAE, where the ball is coming onto the bat, has given a new lease of life to Hardik Pandya, who likes the ball coming onto him. It might just set Hardik Pandya free.”

Sanjay Manjrekar also praised the ability of Suryakumar Yadav to perform on different pitches and conditions. He believes the Mumbai Indians batter is in the top phase of his cricketing career.

“In Suyakumar Yadav, they have got a fantastic T20 batter, who seems to carry his form over a long period of time. It doesn’t matter what number he bats at, what pitches that he is given, you still see that quality.”

The former India batter picked Rahul Chahar as a bowler who could contribute well for Mumbai Indians in the second phase. He believes Chahar should be high on confidence after earning a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad. He elaborated, “Rahul Chahar is in the Indian team ahead of (Yuzvendra) Chahal. That should give him some confidence. He has been fantastic for Mumbai. He is one of those spinners, he is not a mystery spinner, he is more classical. If there is any little spin in the pitch, Rahul Chahar will find it.”

Mumbai Indians are currently placed fourth in the points table with four wins and three losses from seven matches.

They will face Chennai Super Kings(CSK) in their first match at Dubai International Stadium.