In anticipation of the upcoming ODI World Cup, the Indian cricket team is placing its hopes on Suryakumar Yadav’s performance while hoping that Shreyas Iyer stays fully fit.
Suryakumar, a renowned T20I batting superstar, has faced challenges in ODIs, evident from his inability to score a fifty in 19 consecutive innings in this format before back-to-back half-centuries in the series win against Australia. Despite his consistent performance in T20 international cricket, his struggle in the one-day format was a mystery.
Suryakumar’s List-A record is decent, having scored 3,521 runs at an average of 34.51 with a strike-rate of 104.48 in 132 matches. However, his ODI numbers are below par, with 667 runs at an average of 27.79 and a strike-rate of 105.7 in 28 innings.
Although he ended a streak of three consecutive ducks in ODIs during the first ODI against West Indies, the Indian team is still searching for a reliable option at No. 4 in their batting order, a concern they faced during the 2019 World Cup.
With Suryakumar adapting to ODIs and uncertainty surrounding Shreyas’s back injury, former Indian cricketer and Jiocinema expert RP Singh believes that Suryakumar is a viable choice for the No. 4 position. He emphasised the importance of providing him with more game time to prove himself.
RP Singh stated, “Suryakumar Yadav is a good option for No. 4, along with Shreyas (Iyer), provided he is fit. But if you are looking at him even as a backup option, it is important to give him game-time, and he is certainly a good pick.”
Considering Suryakumar’s remarkable performance in T20 cricket, Singh acknowledged that he needed to adjust his game plan for ODIs. Singh believed that with some adaptation, Suryakumar could overcome his current struggles and contribute effectively to the team’s success.
As India prepares for the ODI World Cup, the discussion revolves around finding the right balance in the batting order, and Suryakumar’s potential role as a middle-order batsman is generating interest among cricket enthusiasts.
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