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'He walks into India's Playing XI. 100 percent': Veteran spinner identifies 2 positions for Suryakumar Yadav at T20 WC
Suryakumar Yadav's 117 (55) was a joy to watch, with the right-handed batter showing his timing, creativity, and ability to pick the gaps.
Suryakumar Yadav played one of the finest innings in recent T20I history. He single-handedly led India’s charge towards a steep target of 216 against England at Trent Bridge. The 117 (55) was a joy to watch, with Yadav showing his timing, creativity, and ability to pick the gaps. India ended up losing the match by 17 runs, as nobody else was able to provide any significant support to the Mumbai batter, but it was an innings which will long live in the memory — and has surely saved Yadav a spot in the team which will play at the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Also Read | Suryakumar Yadav admits not getting India over the line in 3rd England T20I will 'keep on playing in my mind'
Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who has played with Yadav at the Mumbai Indians, agreed to this. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Chawla said, “100 per cent (he will be part of the T20 World Cup squad). We all know what he can do in the middle order. He can also open the innings for you. He can play the finisher’s role as well. Definitely, he just walks into the playing XI.”
Suryakumar in his T20I career now averages 38.35 at a strike rate of 177, which are elite numbers for any player and illustrates just how well he fits into the Indian middle order. It is difficult to bowl balls to him that he can’t hit for boundaries. In his century, he picked up good length balls on the middle stump and was able to carve them over point, and also flick them on the leg side, all travelling to the boundary.
While there are other competitors for his position in the team, it is difficult to imagine they can have the influence Yadav now has on the Indian team’s batting. Shreyas Iyer was the second-highest scorer for India at Trent Bridge, but his 28 came laboriously off 23 balls, and his struggles against short balls are now well-documented.
Yadav, nicknamed SKY for his initials, is a true 360-degree player in the mould of AB de Villiers or Glenn Maxwell, and having that sort of talent in the middle order is something most teams can only dream of. At this point in time, he might not only be a lock for the squad for the World Cup, but also one of the first names on the teamsheets once the Indian team gets there.
He might also become a fixture of the ODI team, with the series beginning on July 12 at London’s Kia Oval serving as a good indication of what coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma’s plans might be ahead of the home World Cup in 2023.
