Former selector express disappointment after India drops Suryakumar Yadav for ODI against Sri Lanka
The year 2022 was magical for Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav. The Indian team got their own Mr. 360 degrees, who can hit sixes in any direction of the ground. Suryakumar Yadav has played some fantastic knocks in T20 cricket and is now among the top T20 players in the world. But, when it comes to the One Day International (ODI) format of the game, the team management doesn’t find him the best fit.
On Tuesday, Yadav was not in the team for the ODI match against Sri Lanka and another good batsman Shreyas Iyer took his place. The absence of the star player prompted former Chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth to issue an apology to the right-hander batsman on live tv.
Srikkanth had no role in the selection or rejection of Suryakumar Yadav, but he expressed disappointment with the selection committee for not choosing the player, who has shown a magical performance as recently as the last T20 match against Sri Lanka.
“And Surya, I’m so sorry, I feel bad for you my friend. Is Suryakumar Yadav not there on the team? You look at the top five and ask, who are the impact players there? Who are the guys who can take the game away from the opposition?” the 1983 World Cup-winning cricketer said on Star Sports.
In his career, Suryakumar Yadav has played 16 ODI matches and has barely managed two 50s with a strike rate just above 100. The T20 star has an average of just 32 runs, and at least on paper Shreyas Iyer seems to be a better player than Yadav in ODIs.
Srikkanth was also surprised by the absence of all-rounder Washington Sundar. “I don’t know why Washington Sundar is not playing. I would have picked three spinners, and two pacers with Hardik Pandya as another option. That is why I keep saying that we need to develop more batting all-rounders, that is where India is missing out,” he added.
Sanjay Manjrekar, former Indian cricketer was not much bothered about Suryakumar Yadav or Washington Sundar, but he expressed shock at the absence of Ishan Kishan who recently became one of very few players to smash a double century in ODI cricket.
“I can understand their logic for not going Surya as all the great innings that we have seen from him have come in T20Is. Shubman Gill is getting a long run but why give the same run to Kishan? He got a double hundred. He will bring the left and right-hand combination,” Manjrekar said.
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More
Less
