T(caps) he biggest headache for Team India before the ODI World Cup is the number-4 position. In case of Shreyas being out, Suryakumar Yadav can be a good option. Although Suryakumar's ODI record is quite scary.
The Indian cricket team has started preparing for the ICC ODI World Cup to be held in October-November this year. Recently, India won 2-1 in the three-match ODI series against West Indies at their home. Now Team India's stalwarts will show their mettle in the Asia Cup starting on August 31, which is going to prove to be very important in terms of the ODI World Cup.
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Who will bat at number-four?
If seen, Team India now has to play 8-9 ODIs before the World Cup. In this, 6 matches (on playing Super-4 and final) will be held in September under the Asia Cup, while 3 matches will be played under the domestic bilateral series against Australia. The biggest headache for Team India before the World Cup is the number-4 position. India is not getting any strong option in batting at this position. This problem has arisen due to Shreyas Iyer's injury.
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Suryakumar Yadav can also be an option in case of Shreyas Iyer being ruled out of the ODI World Cup. Although Suryakumar's ODI record is quite scary. After the last World Cup, Surya has scored only 30 runs at number four at a very poor average of 6. In such a situation, feeding Suryakumar Yadav on this number can be like hitting an ax on his leg.
MSK Prasad in support of Suryakumar Yadav
Now the former chief selector of Team India, MSK Prasad has come out in support of Suryakumar. MSK Prasad believes that Suryakumar must get a place in the Indian team for the ODI World Cup. Prasad told India Today, 'I am 100 per cent sure that Suryakumar will be a part of the World Cup. If someone can become number-1 player in T20 format, it means that he has special talent. We have seen his batting in T20 International and IPL. We know his ability to withstand pressure.
MSK Prasad further said, 'I personally feel that Suryakumar has still not been able to play his role in the team properly. If Suryakumar understands his role and plays accordingly, I am sure he will be one of the biggest match winners. He can be the best finisher for India in the World Cup. They have potential and we need to support them.
Prasad told, 'What Rohit and Dravid have done now is fantastic, maybe they have cleared the role for Suryakumar. This will definitely help him as he likes to play the role of a finisher. I am sure this will be a big relief for Suryakumar and he can start strategizing accordingly.
Suryakumar did ODI debut in 2021
Suryakumar Yadav, 32, has consistently flopped in One Day Internationals for India. Surya has so far scored 511 runs in 24 innings of 26 ODIs at an average of 24.33. During this, two half-centuries came out of his bat. In the last 18 innings, Surya could not score a single half-century and during this he could touch the figure of ten only seven times.
Suryakumar Yadav made his ODI International debut on 18 July 2021 against Sri Lanka in Colombo. In that match, he impressed a lot by scoring 31 not out. Then in his second ODI itself, Surya also scored a half century. Then it seemed that Surya would emerge as a strong player in the middle order, but he lost his momentum after scoring 64 runs against the West Indies on 9 February 2022.