Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has expressed his thoughts for the star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav and backs him to play as the crucial No.4 for India in the ODI World Cup later this year in the absence of the regular No.4 batter Shreyas Iyer in the team, who is currently recovering from an injury.
The Mumbaikar was handed the spot in the 50-over format of the game after his impressive performance in T20Is. The No.4 spot in the ODI team is still up for grabs after Shreyas Iyer’s injury and India is still finding out hard to fix the N0.4 position going into the marquee event.
Speaking to the PTI, Shikhar Dhawan said that he would go with Suryakumar Yadav in the number four spot as he got the experience of playing for India in the last few years in International Cricket.
“I would go with Surya at four as he is an experienced player and has been playing international cricket for a while,” Shikhar Dhawan said.
The number one T20I batter in the world failed to capitalize on the opportunity provided to him in the ODI format. Suryakumar Yadav has scored only 2 half-centuries in the 25 matches, he has played so far in ODIs with a poor average of 23.8 and it will be interesting to see, how he capitalizes on the opportunity to play for India in the 50-over format of the game.
We Know The Grounds And Pitches And That Is Going To Very Come In Very Handy – Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan said that he is looking forward to seeing how the young Shubman Gill performs under pressure in the ODI World Cup and is also excited to see Indian skipper Rohit Sharma in the mega event as he did exceedingly well for India in the 2019 World Cup and feels that India has got the home advantage to do well in these conditions.
“Also, really looking forward to seeing how Shubman Gill does in the World Cup. Another batter to watch out for will be Rohit Sharma as he did exceptionally well in the last World Cup.
“We have got a very good side which has the right blend of experience and youth. We will have the home advantage. We know the grounds and pitches and that is going to come in very handy,” Shikhar Dhawan added.
Shubman Gill has been going through a rough patch in International Cricket and could not make an impact for the team in the series so far and will look to turn things around in the remaining games and would be a crucial player for India going into the Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023.