"We Will Definitely Take A Call Tonight" - Suryakumar Yadav On Competition Between Jitesh Sharma and Ishan Kishan

Team India stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav opened up about the competition between Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma for the first T20I against Australia. Suryakumar Yadav said that the decision would be made on the night before the first match of the series.

The Indian team is set to face the Matthew Wade-led Australia team in the first game in Vishakhapatnam on Thursday, November 23. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who has been at the helm of the T20I side for the past year.

Ishan Kishan Has Been Doing Really Well – Suryakumar Yadav

Speaking ahead of the series opener, Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged Ishan Kishan’s performances in the Asia Cup and World Cup, saying that he deserves to be part of the playing XI.

“I mean, he’s been doing really well, and we wanted to keep that continuity from last tournament. And he’s the guy who has been working really hard whenever he gets to a practice session. And, Ishan has been doing really well for us by taking up that role you saw in the Asia Cup in the World Cup as well, batting order. So I think he also deserve that opportunity. But going forward, we will definitely take a call tonight. I mean, what we want from both of them,” said Suryakumar.

Ishan Kishan And Jitesh Sharma’s Recent Form

Ishan Kishan failed to make an impact in T20Is and didn’t score a half-century in the last 16 innings. The left-handed batter faced challenges in consistently delivering in the format, leading to his omission from the playing in the T20I series against the West Indies in July.

Jitesh Sharma made his international debut in the Asian Games following his impressive performances during the IPL 2023. He scored 309 runs in 14 matches with an impressive strike rate of 156.06. He demonstrated his ability to play the finisher role effectively.

Team India is gearing up for the Australia series as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean Islands and the USA in June next year. The Indian cricket team will play two more T20I series against South Africa and Afghanistan before the World Cup.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vc), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

Also read: ‘Don’t Think Too Much About Personal Milestones..’- Suryakumar Yadav Gives Stern Warning To Team India Members