'That flick for 6 is amazing. He's got all the shots': Gavaskar hails IND's 'late bloomer' for solving middle-order woes

In ODIs, he has so far played seven matches, but have managed impressive numbers as a middle-order option, scoring 261 runs at 65.25 with two half-centuries.

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar was effusive in his praise for India's "late bloomer", crediting the 31-year-old for solving the long-standing middle-order woes.

Sunil Gavaskar; Indian cricket team

Suryakumar has long been knock on the selector's door with his impressive numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and only managed to break into the side last year before making the T20 World Cup team. In ODIs, he has so far played seven matches, but have managed impressive numbers as a middle-order option, scoring 261 runs at 65.25 with two half-centuries.

Impressed with his batting in the middle-order, Gavaskar admitted that while Suryakumar has been a late bloomer, he has used his experienced, gained from domestic cricket, to his fullest in making the transition to international cricket.

“Exactly looks like that. With the form that we have seen in the last couple of years. And sometimes you can say that he has been a late bloomer as far as India is concerned because sometimes it helps you when you have that experience of having played that much domestic cricket for five-six years where you have played under various conditions and against different oppositions. And that helps you in international cricket. That step from first-class cricket to international cricket can be a bit too high for a lot of players. And he is bringing all that experience into play,” he told Star Sports ahead of the start of the third ODI.

The legendary batter also feels that the 31-year-old has all the shots in his book and it has been his test of temperament that has separated him from the rest of his competitors for the spot in the middle order.

“All of us know the capability he has, that flick for a six is an amazing shot. Because the bowler hasn't bowled a bad ball, it's just this man has got a great ability to whip the ball for a six. He has got all the shots. But in the last couple of games it has been his temperament that has stood the test. And for me temperament separates the men from the boys. And it has certainly separated him from the others.”

Suryakumar scored an unbeaten 34 off 36 in the series opener against West Indies to guide India past the target of 177 before scoring an 83-ball 64 under pressure amid a top-order failure in the second ODI.