"Shunyakumar Yadav has awakened" - Fans troll MI's Suryakumar after 2-ball duck vs DC IPL 2024 clashÂ
Mumbai Indians' (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav's return to the cricketing field after injury did not transpire as desired, after he was dismissed for a two-ball duck against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Suryakumar was not cleared by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in the first few games following his injury during Team India's tour of South Africa. The batter injured his ankle and also underwent hernia surgery recently, as MI struggled heavily in his absence.
He joined the MI squad over the weekend, and he made it to the playing XI straightaway, replacing Naman Dhir in the process. After Rishabh Pant chose to field first, Suryakumar Yadav's turn with the bat came in the eighth over, right after Axar Patel dismissed Rohit Sharma.
Facing Anrich Nortje upon his return to cricket after four months, Suryakumar Yadav edged one onto his bat off his first ball, leading to a LBW appeal. The very next delivery, he tried to take the speedster on to kickstart one of his trademark brisk starts, but was caught by Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Fans latched on to Suryakumar Yadav's poor show on social media, with the nickname 'Shunyakumar Yadav', which originated with his hat-trick of ducks against Australia, resurfacing again.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
"Shunyakumar yadav has awakened," one user remarked
"SKY has successfully joined team Rohit in MI," another user wrote
"SKY will come to form against the RCB match and Our RCB bowlers will make sure that," RCB fans also joined the conversation
Mumbai Indians post a big total despite no-show by Suryakumar Yadav
DC made a comeback in the middle overs with wickets at regular intervals. MI were struggling at 123/4 after 13 overs on a relatively flat surface. And while the pair of Hardik Pandya and Tim David took their time, they switched gears, capitalizing on some poor bowling by the opposition.
The duo put on 60 runs in quick time, with Tim David doing most of the power hitting, while Pandya struggled for momentum throughout his innings. However, a last-over carnage from Romario Shepherd propelled Mumbai to 234/5 in their 20 overs. The giant West Indian clobbered four sixes and two boundaries in the last over to remain unbeaten on 39 off 10 deliveries.