Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels that Indian 360-degree batter Suryakumar Yadav could be the X-factor for the Men in Blue in the forthcoming ODI World Cup. The 32-year-old has answered the critics in the style by scoring two consecutive half-centuries against Australia and repaid the faith shown by the team management over the last few months.
Suryakumar Yadav was given the new position of a finisher at the No. 6 spot in the ODI team by the Indian team management as a result of his subpar performance at the No. 4 post. The batsman appears to be well-prepared going into the mega event and the Mumbai born batter would be a massive temptation to play in the big games, as he can take the game away from the opponents in the blink of an eye.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Ravi Shastri believes that Suryakumar Yadav can play a crucial role for the Indian team in the lower-down order alongside Hardik Pandya. He feels that if the Indian top four starts firing from the start of the tournament, then the think tank might consider bringing him in the big games in place of Shreyas Iyer as he can be X-factor player in the team.
“I’ll be watching him closely, very very closely. Because if your top order is firing, you have 6-7-8 players, you will play him or Shreyas Iyer at this moment. But if all the batters are getting runs then that guy becomes the X factor in a big game, he can win you a game.
“Because at 6-7-8, the damage he can do with Hardik, they can just take the game away from the opposition in the last 6-7 overs. So that X factor you gotta think of, I can imagine that your batting is struggling but it’s not the case,” Ravi Shastri said.
Suryakumar Yadav is considered one of the most innovative and naturally gifted batters in the world as he redefined the shorter format of the game in recent years, and can take the game away from the opponents and would be crucial for the team in a few games in forthcoming ODI World Cup in India.
A Real Flat Track- I Would Think Of Suryakumar Yadav – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri believes that the Indian team management should always have Suryakumar Yadav in the plans for the starting 11 in the World Cup, especially on flat wickets. He also thinks that if India’s top four manage to score a century, the team should play Suryakumar, while they can play with the proper five batters if the conditions are a little difficult for batting.
“And in Indian conditions, very rarely it will struggle. You know you expect 1-2-3-4 – one hundred. He will always be in my 12. You have to see the conditions. A real flat track – I would think of Surya. Because you expect the other 3-4 to get runs.
“If it’s (conditions are) tough, tricky, or seaming then maybe you don’t know. You have 5 proper batters, all five similar, instead of that have one X-factor – could be a left-hander could be a Surya,” Ravi Shastri added.
Suryakumar Yadav is regarded as one of the most creative and naturally talented batters in the world as he redefined the shorter format of the game in recent years and the right-hander batter would look to make an impactful performance for the team in the World Cup.
