IND vs WI: "Important To Give A Batter Like Suryakumar Yadav The Cushion Of Extra Games" - Rohit Sharma

India National Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma has said that giving a talented batter like Suryakumar Yadav the cushion of extra games is very important because it gives the batter the confidence to deliver goods for the side.

The 32-year-old Suryakumar has established himself as one of the most dangerous T20 batters in the World. He has represented India in 51 T20I games and with his 360-degree gameplay, the No.1 ranked T20 batter has scored 1780 runs at a strike rate of 174.33.

Still, somehow SKY has not been able to crack the 50-over format of the game. In 26 ODIs, he has scored just 511 runs at an average of 24.33.

Speaking on Thursday, Rohit Sharma said that Suryakumar Yadav has been working very hard to improve his ODI game and he has been talking to a lot of players regarding the 50-over format.

“He is really working hard, and he is talking to a lot of guys who have played a lot of ODI cricket as to what kind of attitude and mindset (to have)… like that,” Rohit said during an event, as quoted by PTI.

“It is important to give a batter like him the cushion of extra games so that he finds that groove and gets that confidence. The way he started the IPL this year, in the first 4-5 games he did not have too many runs. But look what he did after that,” Rohit said.

Rohit Sharma added that they have been backing Suryakumar to perform in ODIs for a while, but said that they’ll have to see for how long they can do it.

“For a player like him, it is our job to create such a situation and scenario — ‘It’s okay, if you don’t do well in 2-3 games we are okay, but when you come off, we know that you will win games straightaway’.

“That is what he did in the third T20I, the batters at the top got out and for Surya to go and bat like that… it is a different format. But we will also have to see how long we can stretch this (having Suryakumar at No. 4),” Rohit said.

I do not know about the World Cup and all, but definitely, the guy is talented – Rohit Sharma on Tilak Varma

The 20-year-old Tilak Varma made his T20I debut in the ongoing five-match T20I series against West Indies and he has impressed everyone with his temperament. The batter has performed exceptionally well in the three matches he has played so far and many have backed him to be part of India’s World Cup squad.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma said that Tilak Varma is a promising talent and is quite mature. The Indian captain however refused to tell whether the youngster is in plans for the World Cup.

“He looks very promising. I have seen him for two years now, he has got the hunger, and that is the most important thing,” Rohit said.

“In him I can see, for the age that he is of, he is quite matured. He knows his batting so well. When I speak with him I understand that the boy knows his batting – where he has to hit, what he has to do in that period.

“That is all that I will say about him, I do not know about the World Cup and all, but definitely the guy is talented and he showed it in these few games that he has played for India,” he added.

The Men In Blue will open their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai. The high-profile battle between India and Pakistan is set for October 14 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.