Suryakumar Yadav got the much elusive Indian team call-up for the ongoing T20Is against England. While his hours of sweat and self-abstinence had already shown results in the IPL, his dream of donning the Indian blue, has also come true now.

512, 424, 480 - Surya’s aggregate in the last three IPL seasons scream of the consistency in his game. His good run in the domestic tournaments spoke volumes of his capabilities.

However, it was not an easy road for this Mumbaikar. In an interview with The Indian Express, he opens up about the Indian team call-up and the sweat and blood put into his never-ending quest for the best version of himself.

The first reaction after the call-up

“I started crying, my family started crying too. Those were tears of joy. We badly wanted to see this day. I recalled everything - I could see my mother getting up in the morning at 5.30-6.00, preparing breakfast, packing lunch when I come back from training, then dad dropping me at the ground… everything”

“The passion and love for the game kept me going. I knew that if I kept ticking the boxes, I will reach my destination someday.”

The diets and the doubled workouts

“In the first few days of the lockdown, I ate almost everything that I saw, sugar, sweets, carbs, and rice. Then this thought struck me, why not use the lockdown to get my body into shape. The initial weeks were difficult. I used to feel very hungry at night. I told myself, it’s not easy, but not impossible either.”

“No sugar, no sweets, cut 90 percent of rice and aata. I quit most high-carb food and switched to rotis from jowar, bajra and ragi with normal daal, sabzi or paneer. I also started working out twice a day. Previously it was five times a week.” 

Reflecting on previous IPL seasons

“I saw all my innings of 2018 and 2019, and thought what I could have done better. There were a few strokes that I always loved playing like the cover drive, cut, and the chip over covers. I had all the shots already in my bag but I wanted to polish them properly.”

“So during the lockdown, I used to call a few friends and go to the ground and do a lot of drills. Tell them to throw hundreds or 1000s of balls every day. Slow and steady, by the time IPL came I was ready.”

Fruitful advice from Mahela Jayawardene

“In 2019, he (Mahela) sat with me and explained to me what to do in the powerplay and after that. He wanted me to be a better cricketer at that moment and contribute more by being a little more smarter. So he just sat with me and he was like it’s upon you completely. He said only one thing, whenever you’re batting after the powerplay, just try and hit a lot of gaps, take twos, run hard between wickets and the strike rate also will be amazing. So I just did the same thing,”

The difference in his game in IPL 2020

“I was not feeling tired batting in high-intensity games, I felt fresher when batting after fielding for 20 overs. The recovery time after running between the wickets was quicker, I could move around faster on the field, and even fielded at point a couple of times.”

Cashing in on opportunities

“I have missed opportunities to strike the iron when it is hot when I could have gone one step ahead. But I didn’t. But now, I’ll try and do what I can do. I have opportunities coming my way and I just need to score runs. And whenever the time is right, it will come.”