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'Suryakumar will have to score runs because...': Aakash Chopra sends out outright warning to India star before 2nd T20I
Suryakumar Yadav scored run-a-ball 21 against the West Indies in the T20I series opener at the Brian Lara Stadium.
Despite being a success story in the shortest format of the game, Suryakumar Yadav has somewhat struggled to live up to his expectations in India's multi-format tour to the Caribbean. The white-ball specialist failed to fire for the visitors in the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against the West Indies. Suryakumar registered mediocre scores of 19, 24, and 35 in the ODI series against the West Indies. Nicknamed SKY, the middle-order batter is yet to find his groove even in the shortest format.
Promoted to the No.3 batting position in the absence of Virat Kohli, Suryakumar scored run-a-ball 21 against the Men from the Caribbean in the T20I series opener at the Brian Lara Stadium. Suryakumar, who is appointed as the deputy of stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya in the T20I series, will aim for an improved batting performance against the hosts on Sunday. The Suryakumar-starrer side has their task cut out as the T20I series is on the line in the penultimate encounter at Providence Stadium.
‘Suryakumar Yadav will have to score runs because…’
Sharing his views in the build-up to the 2nd T20I between the former world champions, ex-India cricketer Aakash Chopra acknowledged the arrival of youngster Tilak Varma in India's T20I setup. Suryakumar's teammate Tilak made a promising start by top-scoring for India in his debut game."SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) at No. 3 - you shouldn't read too much into one match. You shouldn't nitpick too much. This is the format that he absolutely loves. He looks better if the ball comes onto the bat, which might happen in Guyana because it won't be a used surface. However, Suryakumar Yadav will have to score runs because, although Tilak Varma has made an amazing start, he is this team's linchpin. India's batting revolves around him in T20Is. So he needs to score runs," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Auditioning for a place in India's World Cup squad in the Caribbean, batters Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson and Suryakumar will hope to return to scoring ways in the series decider against the West Indies on Sunday. The second-string Indian side had handed T20I debuts to Tilak and pacer Mukesh Kumar in the series opener. Besides the batting unit, bowlers Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik and Avesh Khan also have a point to prove in India's ongoing series against the West Indies. Pandya and Co. can level the five-match series 1-1 with a win over West Indies on Sunday.
