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1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar tore into Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav following his second consecutive score of zero against Australia in the three-match ODI series in Visakhapatnam.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar slammed Suryakumar Yadav for having a technical fault, the main reason behind his twin golden ducks against Australia.
“He is facing technical difficulties. Also his stance is an open one. It is good for T20 cricket because any delivery that is overpitched, he can flick it for a six. But here, when the ball is placed right near the foot, with this stance, the bat will definitely come across. It cannot come straight. Hence, if the ball turns inside, he will face difficulty. He needs to spend time with the batting coach on how to come out of this,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday created an unwanted record as he became the first Team India player to get out on a golden duck in back-to-back One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The explosive batter's bizarre feat came against Australia in the second ODI of the three-match series in Visakhapatnam after Mitchell Starc scalped his wicket on the first ball Suryakumar Yadav faced from the left-arm pacer. Also, it is worth noting that Starc sent Suryakumar Yadav packing in the first game in Mumbai.
Unlike the T20Is, where he is the No.1 batter in the world, Suryakumar Yadav has failed to make much of an impact, having collected 433 runs at an under-par average of 25.47, with two fifties in ODIs. His highest score of 64 in ODIs came a year ago, in February 2022.
Suryakumar Yadav has contrasting stats in T20Is and ODIs. In T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has become the backbone of India's batting, and the 32-year-old dasher became the first Indian batter to score over a thousand runs in a calendar year in T20Is, in 2022. On the other hand, he's yet to cement his place in the 50-over format, forget winning matches.
However, Rohit Sharma backed Suryakumar Yadav to come good in the ODIs before adding the middle-order batter would be given a long rope to prove his credentials in the 50-over format.
“We don't know about (Shreyas) Iyer's return. At this time there is a spot available so we have to play him (Suryakumar). He has obviously shown a lot of potential with white ball and I have said it many times before (that) guys with potential will be given some run,” Rohit Sharma elaborated.
“Of course, he knows that he needs to do while in a slightly longer format of the game as well. I think things are there in his mind as well. Like I said, guys with potential will have enough run where you know they should not feel that ‘Okay, You know I wasn't given enough chances in that particular slot',” he argued.
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“Yes he got out in the last two games and the series before that as well, but he needs that consistent run, like back-to-back games, 7-8 or 10 games like that so that, you know, he feels more comfortable.”
“Right now, he has got in the place when someone's been injured or someone's not available. As management we can look into the performance when you give that consistent run and then you feel that okay, the runs are not coming and (he's) not looking comfortable. Then, we will start thinking about it. Right now, we have not gone that route,” Rohit Sharma explained.
On the other hand, Team India veteran Dinesh Karthik opined that Suryakumar Yadav should be tried at the No.6 position instead of No.4, given that he has tasted immense success there in T20Is.
“He would have gotten out on those two deliveries even in T20s. It is not that because it is ODIs, he is getting out. This is high-quality bowling irrespective of the format. He played the two ODIs now and prior to that he didn't play consistently. Shreyas Iyer was the preferred No.4 and rightfully so and Surya was the back-up option. Where we need to be with Surya is remind ourselves of the talent he is,” Dinesh Karthik said in a discussion on a cricket website.
“What I like to see is can they fit in Surya at a different place to get the best out of him. I feel, Hardik enjoys batting up top so is there a possibility of sending him at No.4 and Surya at six. It is so because when you give him 15-18 overs, the way he is able to turn the game on its head is very very good. And irrespective of whether there are 5 or 4 fielders inside the circle he is able to hit boundaries at will and make a mockery out of the captain. When you give Surya lesser overs, 14-18 overs, he is at his venomous best. Suryakumar in ODIs is a non-negotiable.”
Meanwhile, former India pacer Zaheer Khan didn't have kind words for the Rohit Sharma-led side, blasting the batters for their pathetic show in Andhra Pradesh.
Zaheer Khan went on to say that if the Indian batters cannot tackle quality swing and seam bowling on a tricky surface, then they don't deserve a place in the playing XI.
“You look at the first match score, you got the team all-out for 188. Today you didn't have a chance of making any impact because your batters didn't really step up and got you to that platform,” Zaheer Khan told Cricbuzz.
“I think it's all about providing that kind of platform. I won't go too much in that part what bowlers have done wrong. They've played their part in the first match.”
“The last two games that has happened you clearly know where the issue is. The issue is first 10 overs, with the bat in hand what are you doing with it? You are not really setting the platform for your middle-order,” he added.
“How Mitchell Starc has done that with new ball, which is providing platform to the next bowlers to come and continue with that pressure. So similarly when you're losing wickets, the pressure is already formed on the next batter to come and deal with the best bowler.”
“How can you negate that, how can you avoid that kind of a situation is going to be the challenge. That's why all answers in the series is lying with the batters. And they need to regroup, they need to come with solutions, they need to plan and if they are able to provide with the platform then your bowlers will step up,” Zaheer Khan concluded.
