Former India pacer Zaheer Khan dropped a bombshell regarding out-of-form batter Suryakumar Yadav, arguing that the team management should think about dropping him if he fails to perform in his next ODI assignment.
“You need to look at little at the batting order. You need to figure out at No.4 option again. It was something in discussion leading up to the 2019 World Cup and four years later we are having it again. Yes Shreyas Iyer was your designated choice but if he is going to be injured now for the longer time then you need to find the answer,” Zaheer Khan said on Cricbuzz.
Zaheer Khan's harsh words for Suryakumar Yadav came after he became the first international cricketer to score three consecutive golden ducks in ODIs, leading to an intense debate in cricketing circles about his spot in the Rohit Sharma-led side.
The 32-year-old player's bizarre feat came against Australia following his dismissal for naught in the final match in Chennai.
Before his dismissal to Ashton Agar on the first delivery he faced at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Suryakumar Yadav suffered a similar fate in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, losing his wicket on ball No.1 at the two venues.
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.
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 25.05, with two fifties in 23 ODIs. His highest score of 64 in ODIs came a year ago, in February 2022.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria pointed out India captain Rohit Sharma's ‘big mistake' in handling out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav during the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.
Danish Kaneria blamed Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for Suryakumar Yadav's hat-trick of ducks in the three-match ODI series against Australia.
According to Danish Kaneria, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid's decision to demote Suryakumar Yadav in the batting order in the third ODI in Chennai impacted the 32-year-old batter's morale, resulting in an uncharacteristic dismissal for zero to the Australian spinner Ashton Agar.
“The Indian team management has not shown enough confidence when it comes to Suryakumar Yadav. They should not have changed his position. Even Virat Kohli took some time to come back to form, but his position didn't change. So why with Suryakumar Yadav? The Indian team management is to blame for Suryakumar's golden ducks,” Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.
“It is Rohit Sharma's mistake as well. They demotivated him at a time when his confidence was already shattered. They should have motivated him and allowed him to bat at his position,” Danish Kaneria added.
Danish Kaneria, however, isn't the first cricketer to blast Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for Suryakumar Yadav's ill-treatment.
Ex-India batter Ajay Jadeja reckoned that Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma's strategy to send Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.7 in Tamil Nadu backfired as it dented his confidence.
According to Ajay Jadeja, while Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have continued to back Suryakumar Yadav publicly, their actions suggest otherwise. In some way or the other, their decision played on Suryakumar Yadav's mind.
“You played him, some people thought that he shouldn't play, but you did back him. But you also had a doubt, that's a fact. It was visible through your decision. You thought ‘he isn't in form, so we can't send him at this moment because he is failing against swing'. When he came at the end, the game became even more difficult,” Ajay Jadeja told Cricbuzz.
“When you're going through a good time, it doesn't matter if you make the batter wait. But if the form isn't good and you let the player wait for his batting, his mind would run in different directions. He is a human being!”
“He's the same Suryakumar Yadav who scored 360 degrees across the ground. It isn't as if he doesn't know how to play. It's all about the mind. When someone like Virat Kohli faced so many months out of form, it means there's something in the mind that affects your game. If you're thinking too much, and you're making the player wait for his batting, the doubt only increases,” Ajay Jadeja summed up.
However, when reporters enquired Rohit Sharma about the tactic to drop Suryakumar Yadav to No.7, he revealed that he was slated to bat at No.5 but was pushed down the order to take on the Australian bowlers in the last 15-20 overs.
“He plays spin really well which is why we wanted to hold him back and give him the last 15-20 overs where he could play his game. But it’s really unfortunate he could only play three balls in the series. That can happen to anyone. The potential, the quality, is always there. He is just going through that (lean) phase right now.”
“Once we played the first 10 overs, the ball did not swing at all. There was no question of swing where Surya could be troubled or anything like that. It was a tactical move. We wanted to use his potential at the back end along with Hardik. These two players would have been ideal for us but unfortunately, they got out,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
The legendary Yuvraj Singh threw his weight behind the struggling Team India batter, saying he would play a crucial role in the World Cup and hence should not face omission from the national team.
“Every sports person goes thru ups & downs in their career! We’ve all experienced it at sum point. I believe @surya_14kumar is a key player for India & will play an imp role in the #WorldCup if given the opportunities. Let’s back our players coz our Surya will rise again,” Yuvraj Singh tweeted.
Follow Us
Subscribe