Suryakumar Yadav regrets his ODI career, admitting he did not work hard enough on the format
He called ODI cricket the toughest format, requiring patience and calculated batting
He played 37 ODIs, scoring 773 runs at 25.76; his last came in the 2023 World Cup final
Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that his ODI career remains a major regret, taking full responsibility for failing to establish himself in India's 50-over setup despite his remarkable success in T20 cricket.
The former India T20I captain's ODI stint ended after 37 matches, in which he scored 773 runs at an average of 25.76. His final appearance in the format came in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, and he has not played another ODI since.
Unlike his T20 career, where Suryakumar's unconventional strokeplay and attacking approach have made him one of India's most successful batters, he struggled to find the right formula in the 50-over game. Looking back, he believes the biggest problem was his own preparation.
Speaking on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel, Suryakumar said he could have imagined a different trajectory for his international career, but accepted that circumstances alone cannot explain his limited opportunities in Tests and ODIs.
"Hypothetically, we can say anything that if I had come into the team in 2016, I could have played Tests and probably done well in ODIs too. But the reality is that I played only one Test and one innings. After that, the other players came back and started playing again, so it didn't happen. But definitely, I am disappointed with myself when it comes to ODI cricket."
"It was a white-ball format, just like T20s, but to be very honest, I personally feel I did not put in as much effort as I should have for that format," Suryakumar Yadav said.
The 35-year-old also explained why he found ODI batting more demanding than T20 cricket. According to Suryakumar, the format requires batters to constantly adjust their approach depending on the match situation, particularly when coming in during the middle overs.
"I feel ODI cricket is probably the most difficult format to play as a batter, whether you are batting lower down the order or anywhere else. You can be two down for zero if you are batting at No. 4, or four down for 24 if you are batting at No. 6. Anything can happen. You have to bat almost like you do in a Test match."
You see off the bowlers initially, give them respect and slowly build your innings. You may bat at a strike rate of 50 or sometimes 75, then take it to 100 and eventually finish at 130 or 140, much like you do in T20 cricket," he added.
Suryakumar's difficulty, however, went beyond adjusting his batting tempo. He said he never fully worked out how to build an innings in the ODI format, despite knowing that he was likely to bat in the middle order.
"Personally, I feel I could not crack how to approach that format. I knew I was probably going to bat at No. 5 or 6, but even then, I did not work hard enough to understand the format. By the time I could blink, those 20-25 games had gone. I don't even know when it happened or how it went by.
"And yes, I definitely regret not playing more ODI cricket. I wonder why I could not do better in that format. But no one is to blame. I take the blame myself because I did not put in the extra effort that I put in now when I play T20 cricket. If I bat for an hour, I will practise for an hour and a half," he said.
The admission offers an insight into the stark difference between Suryakumar's fortunes across white-ball formats. While he became a central figure in India's T20 setup, his ODI career never gained the same momentum.
With only 773 runs from 37 ODIs and no appearance since the 2023 World Cup final, Suryakumar's record in the format remains significantly below what his performances in T20 cricket suggested he was capable of producing.
