India's T20 Team Needs To Revolve Around Suryakumar Yadav - Saba Karim

Former Indian cricket team national selector Saba Karim said the current team should revolve around Suryakumar Yadav in T20 cricket.

Suryakumar was seen opening the batting order alongside skipper Rohit Sharma in four of the five T20I matches against the West Indies. The move, however, was criticised by many experts as they were concerned about the player’s form in his regular No.4 position.

Where should Suryakumar Yadav bat for India in T20Is?

Suryakumar scored a 44-ball 76, including eight fours and four sixes, batting at a strike rate of 172.73.

The Indian team has also experimented with Rishabh Pant as an opener in the final two T20I matches against England.

While batting at No.4 in T20 Internationals, Suryakumar has aggregated 262 runs in nine innings at an average of 32.75 and a strike rate of 184.51. These are the best figures for the 31-year-old player in the format for any given position.

India’s T20 team needs to revolve around Suryakumar Yadav: Saba Karim

Karim believes apart from Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik, no other batting slot if confirmed with the T20 World Cup just three months away. The former Indian player said the team management should decide where they want to bat Suryakumar and get the best results.

“You said you can slot Surya at No. 4. I disagree there, Surya doesn’t need to be slotted anywhere. I think this T20 team needs to revolve around Surya. You have got to figure out where is the best you can get out of him, is it at the top of the order, or No. 3 or No. 4, you put him there then,” Karim said on Sports18.

“There are certain slots in that batting order which might be non-negotiable in terms of Dinesh Karthik being a finisher towards the end, Rohit Sharma opening the batting. But everything else is up for grabs.

“As I said, Suryakumar Yadav can open, can bat at No. 3 or No. 4. Rishabh Pant can also be a floater depending on how many overs are left when wickets fall. In T20 cricket, it’s not so much about No. 3 or No. 4, it’s about how many overs are left and you send players accordingly out there,” he added.

Suryakumar might bat at No.4 in the Asia Cup 2022 with KL Rahul, who will return to the T20I side after nine months, is likely to open with Rohit with Virat Kohli at No.3.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Dinesh Karthik Is A Fine Finisher But Actual Finishers Are Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya: Kris Srikkanth