Suryakumar Yadav, playing a blinder of an innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Tuesday, said he knows his game all too well and match situations are just an extension of practice sessions for him.

Surya’s stunning 35-ball 83 and Nehal Wadhera’s unbeaten 52 handed Mumbai Indians a comprehensive six-wicket win over RCB.

Surya struck seven fours and six sixes during his sensational effort while adding 140 runs for the third wicket in only 66 balls with Wadhera as Mumbai chased down the 200-run target with 21 balls to spare.

“I told Nehal, ‘Let’s hit it hard and hit into the gaps and run hard’. Your practice has to be the same as what you intend to do in matches,” Surya said after the win.

“I know where my runs are. We have open net sessions. I know my game and I don’t do anything different.”

The 83 against RCB on Tuesday was Surya’s highest score in the IPL. It was also his fourth half-century of this IPL. The 32-year-old added that RCB bowlers tried their best to pitch the ball in areas where he had to work hard on hitting boundaries. They came up with a plan.

“They tried to make me hit to the bigger part (longer boundaries). They tried to take the pace off and bowl slow,” Surya said.

Wadhera was in awe of his senior colleague’s batting, saying some of Surya’s cricketing shots are hard to emulate. “Suryabhai is a top-class player and I also try to copy some of his shots, but I cannot.

“While he was batting, I was talking to him and he was saying, ‘Keep playing, keep playing’, and he was giving me confidence,” Wadhera said.