Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav's second consecutive failure against Australia triggered an epic meme fest, with fans mocking him on Twitter. 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.

Against this backdrop, 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.

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.

“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.

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Mitchell Starc, who ended up with superb figures of 5/53, revealed that he was in a good rhythm and why he was enjoying his bowling right now.

“I feel like my rhythm has been good for a few weeks now and I guess the last couple of nights I've got the ball to shape in the air and do a little bit off the wicket so it's feeling in a good place and hopefully it continues. The role I play is being slightly fuller and more attacking than the other guys which in turn can be not as economical, a bit more expensive but I think it brings in all the dismissals a bit more,” Starc said after collecting the Player of the Match award.

Mitchell Starc earned rave reviews from former Australia speedster Shaun Tait and stand-in captain Steve Smith who called him one of the greatest white-ball cricketers from Down Under.

“It was a quick one. 37 overs for the game, you don't see that too often. I thought our bowlers were outstanding. Mitchell Starc in particular with that new ball swinging it back down the line and putting them under early pressure and he complemented really well with the rest of our bowling group. I didn't know how the wicket was going to play and how much it was going to swing. The way that Mitch and Heady went out and went after them was impressive. Putting them under pressure. When you're chasing 118 you can break the back of it really quickly,” Steve Smith argued.

“I think it's been the same for him. He just wants to swing the ball and get on the stumps basically. Conditions helped him out a little bit again. Even in Mumbai, it had something for the fast bowlers and obviously, it did today as well. I think he got it right and the batters got it wrong. He reminds me a little of Shaheen Afridi where no matter what the conditions are, he is brave enough to pitch the ball up, almost half-volley length on the stumps and backing his pace. Mitchell Starc is close to one of the greatest bowlers Australia has ever had in white-ball cricket,” Shaun Tait told ESPNCricinfo.

“There has been an issue. It's a struggle for a lot of batters. A left-armer who bowls at around 145 and can swing the ball is dangerous for anybody. Today, for example, what the Indian players did wrong was to setup for as if it was a flat pitch. Walking across the stumps and playing some loose shots. I think the conditions today didn't allow for that. It was probably a wicket where you had to spend some time and get through the tough periods,” Tait said in reply to a question about the Indian batters' struggles against Mitchell Starc.