ICC World Cup 2023: Suryakumar Yadav Should Be Selected Ahead Of Sanju Samson - Harbhajan Singh
Published - 07 Sep 2023, 08:25 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:18 AM
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh backed the inclusion of middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav in India’s provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Harbhajan Singh highlighted that Suryakumar Yadav can change the game with his aggressive style of batting.
Suryakumar managed to secure his spot in the 15-member squad despite his struggles in ODI cricket. The right-handed batsman acknowledged his challenges in adapting to the 50-over format during the ODI series against the West Indies, where he scored 78 runs in three innings.
Suyrakumar Yadav Is A complete Player – Harbhajan Singh
Speaking in a press conference arranged by Star Sports, Harbhajan Singh said that Suryakumar Yadav deserved to be picked ahead of Sanju Samson in the World Cup squad.
“Surya should be selected ahead of Sanju Samson. Surya is a complete player. Sanju does not have the middle overs game like that at the moment,” Harbhajan said.
Sanju Samson was part of India’s squad in the Asia Cup 2023 as a travelling reserve. However, the Kerala wicketkeeper batter failed to make it into the squad as KL Rahul regained his full fitness. Rahul and Ishan Kishan were named as designated wicketkeepers in the lineup.
Sanju Samson Plays Riskier Cricket Than Surya – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh highlighted Suryakumar Yadav’s ability to manipulate gaps in the field and his potential to make a game-changing impact with just 30 balls.
“Samson plays riskier cricket than Surya. Surya will need to bat the exact number of balls like he does in T20. When you bat from the 35th over, you need a game where you can find the gaps in the field, and nobody is better than Surya than doing that. If it were up to me, I would play Surya in every game. He needs just 30 balls to change the game.”
Suryakumar Yadav scored 511 runs in 26 matches with a dismal average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 101.39. He hasn’t scored a half-century in his last 20 innings in the 50-over format. He registered three golden ducks against Australia in the ODI series earlier this year.
India’s World Cup 2023 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.
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Harbhajan Singh ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 ICC ODI World Cup 2023 India National Cricket Team Sanju Samson Suryakumar Yadav
