The decision to open with Suryakumar Yadav hasn’t gone down well with experts and veterans of the game as captain Rohit Sharma has been immensely criticised for the experimentation. Suryakumar became the seventh batter to open for India in 2022 in the T20I format, and managed only 35 runs in 21 balls across two innings. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri too did not back Rohit’s decision to experiment with Suryakumar, who he admitted his a certainty for the T20 World Cup side in the middle-order position, and rather issued a stern to the skipper.
Ahead of the second T20I between India and West Indies, the likes of Kris Srikanth, Ravi Shastri, Ajay Jadeja and Mohammad Kaif had an intense debate over the matter. It was Srikanth who failed to find logic in the decision to open with Rohit considering the batter is a certainty in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2022.
Ravi Shastri, who joined the debate virtually, also echoed Srikanth’s sentiments and suggested SKY should be played at the position which will be allotted to him at the showpiece event in Australia.
“Suryakumar is a certainty in the side. Bat him in the number he will bat at in the World Cup. And because if Rohit is opening the batting he will open with KL Rahul when he is back. If you want to give an opportunity to someone else, give to someone you want to check out. A guy who is a certainty, if you have decided where he is going to bat in the World Cup, bat him there. Don’t tinker around,” Shastri said on Fan Code.
“Let him go in different situations, maybe two wickets down early or have to bat 5 or six overs but let him bat where he should bat, even then be flexible if need be. Suryakumar is in the form of his life at that middle-order position and he knows how to bat there as opposed to a lot of other players He bats long at that number which many cannot do and his strike rate is excellent. At the top Rishabh Pant can be given a go,” he added.
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