"Everything is around them when I am back home" - MI's Suryakumar Yadav on his beloved pet dogs

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad for the ongoing 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He is expected to be available for the side's second match of the tournament.

The player recently appeared on MI live, where he spoke about the bonding he shares with his pet dogs. Yadav mentioned that he was missing his dogs Pablo and Oreo, whom he hasn't seen for close to a month now.

Yadav revealed that he relishes spending time with them whenever he is home. He also stated that because he is constantly on the road due to his cricketing commitments, he doesn't get much time with his beloved pets.

"It's been more than a month now that I have seen them and I really miss them, obviously. When I go back home, I try and leave everything aside and spend as much time as possible with them. Because in a year you travel about 8 to 9 months and you get to spend just 2 to 3 months at home. That's very little time.

"I try and use that time being with them, playing with them. Like literally sleep over them, eat with them and everything is around them when I am back home."

The 31-year-old suffered a hairline fracture on his thumb during India's home ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

This forced him to miss the subsequent T20I series between the two cricketing nations as well as MI's opening match of IPL 2022 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) yesterday.

The batter underwent rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He is said to have recovered from the injury and will likely return to Mumbai's playing XI for their upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals on April 2.

Mumbai Indians start IPL 2022 on a losing note

The five-time champions took on DC on Sunday afternoon in their inaugural match of the season.

They were asked to bat first at the Brabourne Stadium and managed to post a decent total of 177, thanks to Ishan Kishan's fine unbeaten knock of 81.

However, they lost the encounter as Lalit Yadav (48*) and Axar Patel (38*) showcased great composure towards the end to guide their side to victory with their counter-attacking batting.

DC chased down the target in the 19th over itself with four wickets to spare.