Even with the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to begin in less than a week's time, the cynosure of world cricket has been Suryakumar Yadav's unwanted streak of three golden ducks in the recently-concluded home ODI series against Australia. It had re-ignited the No.4 debate yet again with the 2023 World Cup around the corner leaving veterans concerned. However, a former Pakistan cricketer has brutally attacked India skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for their treatment of Suryakumar, which he feels resulted in the third dismissal.
Danish Kaneria pointed out towards Suryakumar's batting position in the third ODI match against Australia. Contrary to his position at No.4, the India star was asked to feature at No.7, with the likes of Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya batting ahead of him while KL Rahul took the No.4 spot.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria questioned India tactic saying that even though Virat Kohli suffered through a lean patch and century drought, his batting position was never changed.
"The Indian team management has not shown enough confidence when it comes to Suryakumar Yadav. They should not have changed his position. Even Virat Kohli took some time to come back to form, but his position didn't change. So why with Suryakumar Yadav? The Indian team management is to blame for Suryakumar's golden ducks," he said. "It is Rohit Sharma's mistake as well. They demotivated him at a time when his confidence was already shattered. They should have motivated him and allowed him to bat at his position."
{{/usCountry}}"The Indian team management has not shown enough confidence when it comes to Suryakumar Yadav. They should not have changed his position. Even Virat Kohli took some time to come back to form, but his position didn't change. So why with Suryakumar Yadav? The Indian team management is to blame for Suryakumar's golden ducks," he said. "It is Rohit Sharma's mistake as well. They demotivated him at a time when his confidence was already shattered. They should have motivated him and allowed him to bat at his position."
{{/usCountry}}The Indian captain, while backing Suryakumar after his third golden duck dismissal, explained the reason behind demoting him in the batting line-up.
"He plays spin really well which is why we wanted to hold him back and give him the last 15-20 overs where he could play his game. But it’s really unfortunate he could only play three balls in the series. That can happen to anyone. The potential, the quality, is always there. He is just going through that (lean) phase right now. Once we played the first 10 overs, the ball did not swing at all. There was no question of the swing where Surya could be troubled or anything like that. It was a tactical move," he had said after the match.