'If you try to save someone, this game will kill you more': Jadeja bashes Dravid, Rohit for Suryakumar's failure
Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed on first-ball ducks across all the three matches in the series against Australia.
Team India faced a 1-2 series defeat to Australia in the ODI series on Wednesday; the visitors inflicted a 21-run loss on India in the series decider in Chennai. This was India's first ODI series loss at home since 2019, as the side endured a poor performance – particularly with the bat – across the three matches. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja bailed India out of a tricky spot after a top-order collapse in the first ODI, but a disappointing show continued as India were bowled out on 117 in the second. Even as the hosts had a particularly better outing from the top-order in the decider, a lower-middle order collapse meant the side fell short in a 270-run chase.
One of the biggest disappointments in the series was Suryakumar Yadav, who was dismissed on first-ball ducks across all the three matches. Mitchell Starc trapped Suryakumar in front of stumps in the first two games and the batter, who was sent down from number 4 to 7 in the batting order on Wednesday, failed to make a mark yet again, as Ashton Agar castled him off the first ball.
Suryakumar's last 50+ score in ODIs came in February 2022, and a triple-duck outing against Australia has further raised concerns over his place in the XI in the fifty-over format. However, former India star Ajay Jadeja has come in support of Suryakumar, stating that it was a poor decision from the team management to sent the 32-year-old batter at number 7 in the final ODI.
“You played him, some people thought that he shouldn't play, but you did back him. But you also had a doubt, that's a fact. It was visible through your decision. You thought 'he isn't in form, so we can't send him at this moment because he is failing against swing'. When he came at the end, the game became even more difficult,” Jadeja told Cricbuzz.
"When you're going through a good time, it doesn't matter if you make the batter wait. But if the form isn't good and you let the player wait for his batting, his mind would run in different directions. He is a human being!
“He's the same Suryakumar Yadav who scored 360 degrees across the ground. It isn't as if he doesn't know how to play. It's all about the mind. When someone like Virat Kohli faced so many months out of form, it means there's something in the mind that affects your game. If you're thinking too much, and you're making the player wait for his batting, the doubt only increases,” Jadeja explained.
The former India batter further said that form can only be regained if a player is given more balls to play.
“In our days, it used to be said that if someone isn't in form, and if he plays at no.4 and you send him at no.7, it will always be more challenging. You will always feel more comfortable when you bat up the order. When you come at no.7, whatever strength you have in your batting, you've already lost 60-80 percent of it. You haven't made it any easier. You can only regain form when you play ahead. You can't save anyone. If you try to save someone, this game will only kill you more,” Jadeja stated.
