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Sunil Gavaskar endorses Suryakumar Yadav’s unorthodox captaincy call against Oman: 'He may have thought Kuldeep Yadav…'
Sunil Gavaskar said that Suryakumar Yadav would have realised that he had enough batting practice against Pakistan, where he remained unbeaten on 47.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar gave his honest take on Suryakumar Yadav's not batting in the dead-rubber against Oman in the Asia Cup 2025 group stage. The legendary batter lauded Surya’s innovative mindset, pointing to past instances where his unconventional approach as captain had also stood out. The Indian skipper decided to stay on the sidelines against Oman, allowing other batters to spend time in the middle and gain match practice, even as the team went eight down in Dubai.
Meanwhile, India's batting performance wasn't up to their usual standards as they failed to cross the 200-run mark and posted 188/9 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson was the highest run-getter with 56 off 45 balls, while Abhishek Sharma (38), Axar Patel (26) and Tilak Varma (29) also made important contributions.
Gavaskar said that Surya would have realised that he had enough batting practice against Pakistan, where he remained unbeaten on 47.
"If he had batted for even one over, he could have hit a few fours and sixes and that would have been good for him. But the way he batted against Pakistan, may be does not need batting practice. He may have thought that Kuldeep Yadav's batting could come in handy if India lose quick wickets in one of the matches. Perhaps that's why he may have sent Kuldeep in to bat," Surya said on Sony Sports.
Also Read - Hardik Pandya saves India from major embarrassment as casual approach nearly spells doom against Oman
"Suryakumar Yadav is an innovative thinker"
The batting great further hailed Suryakumar's unconventional leadership style, recalling how his gutsy decisions turned games in India’s favour against Sri Lanka last year when he bowled himself and Rinku Singh in the death overs. He also suggested that the same mindset influenced Surya’s decision not to bat against Oman.
"He is very unorthodox thinker. We saw in Sri Lanka that he himself bowled and also gave Rinku Singh the ball. He turned the game, which seemed to have slipped away, on its head and won India the match. He is an innovative thinker. May be that's why he did not bat and sent in Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh," Gavaskar added.
India are set to head back to Dubai for their Super Four showdown, where they will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in a much-anticipated clash.
