Given Suryakumar Yadav’s success in T20I cricket, supporters have to wonder if he can also succeed in other formats. Gautam Gambhir even tweeted that it was “time to put him in Test cricket” after his scorching century against Sri Lanka in the third Twenty20 International. The two extremes of the sport are tests and T20Is. So let’s meet in the middle, at least for now, in the ODIs.
Despite the fact that Suryakumar’s T20I performance warrants a lengthy run in 50-over cricket, this year is World Cup year and India already has more middle-order candidates than there are spaces available. Nearly all of the players from Nos. 4 to 6 who have played at least five innings over the past two years have done well.
After eight games, Suryakumar was averaging 53.40 with a strike rate of 103.08 in his ODI career. However, during the course of the following eight, he was fired four times for single digits and twice for under 20.
He and Shreyas Iyer are the only people without a secondary talent in the aforementioned table. If Ishan Kishan is unable to solidify his position, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Sanju Samson all provide a wicketkeeping alternative. The upside would be huge if Suryakumar can repeat his T20I form, though. He may affect the course of ODI matches as well.
Suryakumar’s domestic List A statistics don’t seem all that great at first glance: 2854 runs average 36.58, however they strike at 104.19. However, he has 1647 runs over the past four years at an average of 45.75 and a strikeout rate of 122.
The World Cup is only nine months away, so there isn’t much time left for experimenting. The ideal run for him from India would be six one-day internationals, three against Sri Lanka and then three against New Zealand. That may imply that Rahul or Shreyas take the day off. However, Rohit Sharma, the captain of India, has suggested a different strategy.
On the eve of the opening ODI against Sri Lanka, Rohit stated, “The issue arises when we start comparing various formats. They have performed admirably in situations where they were under pressure, going in, batting, and scoring runs. You must consider all of those factors before making a decision.
“I do comprehend the form, too. The format is just as crucial as the form. The players who have performed well in ODIs will undoubtedly get a run since the 50-over format is a different format and a little bit lengthier than the T20 format.
Suryakumar will have to persuade the squad that he is prepared for ODIs and its special obstacles, the largest of which will be if he can bat with the same attitude here as well.