"It absolutely blew my mind" - Sanjay Manjrekar recalls Suryakumar Yadav's maiden IPL ton
Sanjay Manjrekar has stated that the thoroughly enjoyed watching Mumbai Indians' (MI) Suryakumar Yadav bat during the team's IPL 2023 league match against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Wankhede Stadium on May 12.
Recalling Suryakumar's batting exploits, Manjrekar said that it was a mindblowing knock by the dynamic batter. The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that it was like watching a T20 masterclass.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, he remarked:
"That hundred (Suryakumar Yadav) that he got at the Wankhede Stadium, right in front of my eyes, I saw a T20 masterclass. Plus, a glimpse into the future of T20 batting because what Surya was doing that night was unbelievable. It absolutely blew my mind."
Suryakumar remained unbeaten on 103 off 49 balls in the encounter, slamming his first-ever IPL century. The right-handed batter hit six maximums along with 11 fours during his entertaining knock, finishing with a fantastic strike rate of 210.2.
Suryakumar Yadav becomes the 5th centurion for Mumbai Indians in IPL 🔥
#MIvGT #Cricket #IPL2023 https://t.co/9cu8xCmpNA
With 605 runs across 16 innings, he was the leading run-getter for Mumbai this season. The Mumbai batter had an average of 43.21 and a strike rate of 181.13.
"When you see things like that, you get a bit emotional" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Mohit Sharma's success in IPL 2023
Mohit Sharma, who was a net bowler for Gujarat in last year's IPL, emerged as one of the top performers with the ball for the side this time around.
Speaking about the veteran pacer's success, Manjrekar suggested that he got a little emotional seeing Sharma making such a wonderful comeback to the league, adding:
"It has to be Mohit Sharma. He has always been this wonderful human being, a simple hardworking cricketer. His comeback and the kind of impact that he made, and the way he made an impact to the Titans team was a story in itself. When you see things like that, you get a bit emotional. My heart really went out to Mohit Sharma this season."
Notably, Sharma received praise from all quarters for his death bowling. He picked up 27 wickets from 14 matches at an impressive economy rate of 8.17.