He was not quite getting a game: Ricky Ponting recalls how KKR move changed Suryakumar Yadav's career

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting recalled how leaving Mumbai Indians changed a young Suryakumar Yadav's career in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Yadav, who is currently the no.2 ranked batter in T20Is, has come a long way in his career and has gone on to become an integral member of India's white-ball squad.

It was not an easy path to the national team for the 32-year-old, who had to wait until last year to make his debut for the Indian team. However, it took him little time in establishing his credentials as one of the most exciting batters in T20Is after getting his dream India debut.

A young Yadav was part of the Mumbai Indians' squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was with the five-time champions. He rarely got chances in the playing XI and was traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014, a move that proved to be a game-changing one in his career.

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Yadav became a vital cog in KKR's middle-order under Gambhir and played several match-winning knocks for the team as his stocks rose. He was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the 2018 player auction and has since played an instrumental role in Rohit Sharma & Co.'s success by helping them win two titles.

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“When I was in Mumbai, he was an 18-19-year-old kid, a young man. He was in our squad not quite getting a game. The year after I left, he was traded to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where his career started to turn around,” Ponting said in the ICC review.

“He got a bit of an opportunity in the middle order and then MI bought him back in the auction and has been a match-winning player for them for five or six seasons now, to the point that he is one of their retained players,” he added.

Yadav has been one of Mumbai Indians' best batters since joining the team in 2018. He has so far notched up 2036 runs in 68 matches for the five-time champions and was retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction earlier this year.

He was rewarded for his consistent performances in the IPL and the domestic circuit by making his India debut last year and has since gone on to prove why he is so highly rated. The 32-year-old has been a prolific run-getter for India in T20Is and is set to be India's no.4 at the upcoming T20 World Cup this year.

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Recalling his time with a young Yadav, Ponting said those who have been around him from a young age always knew the star India batter had talent in abundance and just needed the opportunities to prove himself at the highest level.

“Anyone who has seen him from a young age knew that he had an abundance of talent. The more he has played, the more he has learned about himself, the more different situations he has found himself in a game, he has found a way to not just survive, but thrive in the IPL at international level,” Ponting said.