Outside of T20, the runs are not coming for Suryakumar Yadav, but his freakish abilities still inspire faith among well-wishers of Indian cricket.
On Friday, former India fast bowler RP Singh said that despite Yadav’s recent struggles, he was India’s best bet for the No. 4 or 5 spots at the World Cup, especially with a question mark over the match-readiness of the formidable Shreyas Iyer.
“Suryakumar Yadav is a good option for No 4, along with Shreyas (Iyer), provided he is fit. But if you are looking at him even as a backup option, it is important to give him game-time and he is certainly a good pick," Singh said during an interaction held by Jio Cinema. “Suryakumar is yet to make his mark in One-day cricket but the way he is batting, and the kind of batter that he is, he can be a good option for No 4 or 5.”
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Singh added, “You must always have backup options heading into major tournaments. His current form in T20 cricket has been very good, One-day format is different because you have (to face) more number of balls. Due to that, he will have to change his game-plan a bit.”
Singh said India did not have that many choices for No.4. Therefore those that were there had to be handled well.
“He (Yadav) is an experienced player, it is about that one click — how many games he takes to make one big score. Once that happens, he will not face any such issues. Anyway, how many options does the team even have for No 4?,” he said.
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On the bowling side, Singh looked forward to the return of Jasprit Bumrah. According to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, Bumrah was 100 per cent fit from his back injury, and could be on the flight to Ireland for the T20 series in August.
“For Bumrah, getting some games under his belt on the Ireland tour and in the Asia Cup will be better in the context of playing in the World Cup. When you are returning from an injury layoff, the body and the mind need time to adjust and you need to play some matches for that," Singh said.
About the pacy but raw Umran Malik, Singh said, he needs to possess more than just pace if he has to be an effective bowler. He too needs to be given more matches.
“You have a good number of matches before the World Cup. He can get 5-6 games in the Asia Cup, and three more matches (against Australia). Umran has the advantage of pace. But the issue with him is the skill — his deliveries do not move much,” Singh said.
“In international cricket, speed alone cannot be the only weapon. You have to make a game-plan as well, and that is something he is not learning as quickly as he should. He also concedes a lot of runs. But he seems to be in the loop for the World Cup because he has the pace."
