Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth is not pleased with India’s experiment of opening the batting with Suryakumar Yadav against the West Indies. The Rohit Sharma-led team is trying out different combinations at the top of the order, with the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 around the corner. Suryakumar opened the innings in the first couple of T20Is for Team India. However, the move did not pay off as much as the team would have liked.
Earlier, Team India also tried Rishabh Pant at the top of the order for a few innings. However, he could make much of an impact. The team then decided to try Suryakumar Yadav as an opener with Rohit Sharma, to suit their new aggressive batting approach. However, Suryakumar Yadav has managed 35 runs in the two matches so far, at an average of 17.50.
Speaking on Fan code, Kris Srikkanth slammed the Indian management for shifting Suryakumar Yadav at the top of the order. He expressed that India should drop Shreyas Iyer and bring in Ishan Kishan if they need an opener. However, the team should not ruin Suryakumar Yadav’s game, he added.
“Suryakumar Yadav is a brilliant player at No.4. He should be batting at No.4 in the T20 World Cup. So why do you want to make him open? If you want someone to open, drop Shreyas Iyer and pick Ishan Kishan instead. What I am trying to say is simple…don’t spoil the cricketer like Suryakumar Yadav. Please don’t do that. I will tell you what will, after a couple of failures he will lose his confidence. Cricket is a confidence game,” said Kris Srikkanth.
I completely failed to understand it: Kris Sirkkanth on India’s opening experiment
Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth further expressed that Suryakumar Yadav is a certainty in the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Hence, he feels that such experiments can hamper the right-handed batter’s confidence. Kris also added that India should have continued with Rishabh Pant as the opener if they want him at the top. He stated,
“Whatever it was, I completely failed to understand it. You ought to have used Rishabh Pant today if you were planning to use him as the opener for a couple of games. Give him five chances at least. In addition, Rohit Sharma, the captain, and Rahul Dravid, the coach, support the players for at least 5–6 games.”
Team India lost the second T20I against West Indies by five wickets. The five-match T20I series is now tied at 1-1 after the first two games. The third T20I is all set to take place on August 2 at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.
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