T20 World Cup 2021: Ishan Kishan Could Replace Suryakumar Yadav If Necessary - Salman Butt

Former Pakistan player Salman Butt reckons Team India always has the option to bank on left-hander wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan if Suryakumar Yadav doesn’t find his groove in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Kishan played stroke-filled innings of 70 off 43 balls last night against England in the first warmup match of the World Cup. Suryakumar, on the other hand, scored just 8 despite playing on one of the flattest tracks seen in Dubai so far. If he cannot regain his form by the time the Super-12 stage starts, Kishan should replace him, as per Butt.

“Suryakumar Yadav’s flow is not the same as what we saw in Sri Lanka. Even in the IPL, if we take out the one innings in the final match of the UAE leg, he did not play a fluent knock in any of the other matches.“

“If concerns over his form remain, Ishan can replace him in the playing XI. He has been in scintillating form. I feel if India have to pick between Suryakumar and Ishan, they should go with the latter on current form. He can play game-changing knocks,” Butt stated on his YouTube channel.

Salman Butt opined that Ishan Kishan’s inclusion will bring variety in the batting order

Since India’s top three slots are filled by right-handers, including Suryakumar would mean the variety is lacking. Only Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja will be the left-handers in the team. To counter this, Kishan could be the right option in the top or middle order, said Salman Butt.

“If Kishan plays instead of Suryakumar, India will have two left-handers in the middle-order (Rishabh Pant being the other one), so it will also help the left-right combo. India’s top three are all right-handers. Down the order, there is Ravindra Jadeja as well, so there will be depth in the team as well,” he said.

Kishan has scored blazing fifties in his last three T20 matches and has found his mojo heading into the T20 World Cup. It’s up to Suryakumar to show why he was selected for the team in the first place.

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