The Biggest Positive For Me Is Suryakumar Yadav From The ODI Series Against Sri Lanka: Ashish Nehra

Former Indian left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra is perhaps amongst the many impressed with Suryakumar Yadav’s skill. Suryakumar Yadav has made the most of his opportunities thus far in international cricket after debuting earlier this year. Ashish Nehra believes the 31-year old is also second to none when it comes to the shortest format.

Suryakumar Yadav, who made his T20I debut earlier this year against England, showed his mettle in his first ODI appearance too. The 31-year old scored an attractive 31 off 20 deliveries, while he made an impressive 53 off 44 balls in India’s three-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI. Yadav did not fare badly either in the final ODI, scoring a risk-free 40.

Ashish Nehra sees Suryakumar Yadav as the biggest positive from the ODI series and feels that he brings the X-factor in the middle order. The 42-year old revealed that everybody has seen him playing for the Mumbai Indians at number three; however, the right-handed batsman has done equally well as a lower-order batter, playing risk-free and all-round cricket.

“There are plenty of positives but the biggest positive for me is Suryakumar Yadav and the way he played these two innings. He couldn’t convert the starts into a big innings but when you talk about X-factor, skill, no doubt, Suryakumar Yadav has it in the middle order. We have seen that for Mumbai Indians, he has opened, played at No. 3 and 4 as well. Here he played a bit lower in the batting order but if you look at his fours, singles… the confidence he has shown is worth praising. That is a big plus,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.

He is right up with those guys: Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra further opined that Suryakumar Yadav is as crucial to the line-up as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya. The Delhi-born former cricketer believes whenever Yadav received an opportunity, he cashed on it and adapted to his role well.

“If after them, you ask me to name a batsman, I would out Suryakumar Yadav there. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya… he is no less than them. He is right up with those guys. Whenever he has been given a chance, he has always adapted even if he isn’t habitual of batting at that position,” he added.

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