India vs Australia 2023

‘The way he is performing…’ – Former Indian cricketer breaks silence on Suryakumar Yadav’s inclusion in all fromats

Suryakumar Yadav has ruled the roost in the T20I format ever since he made his debut in the shortest form at the age of 30 against England in 2021. He has had a wonderful career so far as he has scored 1,578 runs at a strike rate of 180.34 and an average of 46.41. He has already scored three hundreds in the format.

Suryakumar has been compared to AB de Villiers for his “360-degree” technique and also possesses the ability to hit the ball to different parts of the ground, and also primarily at lesser-known areas. He was named the T20I Player of the Year on Wednesday. He will be looking to build a legacy in Test cricket as he has done in T20Is. He has been included in the squad for the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

‘He will score multiple 100s and 200s’ – Suresh Raina on Suryakumar Yadav

“The way he (Suryakumar) is performing, I think he should play in all three formats and without him, all three formats should not even exist. The way he performed, the way he shows intent, the way he plans different shots, he also plays fearlessly and knows how to use the dimension of the ground,” Suresh Raina said on Viacom18 Sports in interaction with Aakash Chopra.

“He is a Mumbai player, and he knows how to play red-ball cricket. I think he has a great chance – playing Test cricket will get him another establishment in ODIs and some stability as well. He will score multiple 100s and then 200s,” Raina added. Suryakumar has changed the dynamics with his arrival in the middle order of the Indian side. The Men in Blue look at him as a bank in the middle order in the shorter formats and expect him to deliver.

The 32-year-old has been given an opportunity in the Indian Test side because Rishabh Pant has not recovered from the near-fatal car crash that he sustained in December 2022. As for the wicketkeeper, it could be one of Ishan Kishan, Kl Rahul and KS Bharat in the absence of Pant. A series win against Australia will catapult India into the World Test Championship final.