Last Updated: January 16, 2023, 12:57 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav has played in 17 ODIs since making debut in 2021. (AP Photo)
Suryakumar Yadav is currently the world’s top-ranked T20I batter
Having already made himself indispensable in T20I cricket, Suryakumar Yadav has his eyes set on replicating the success in the longer formats including ODIs and Test cricket. Suryakumar is the world’s top-ranked batter in T20Is and is head and shoulders ahead of the competition thanks to his stunning range, ability to score at a breakneck speed and surreal consistency.
His T20I success though hasn’t resulted in Suryakumar becoming an ODI regular as he wasn’t part of India’s three-match series in Bangladesh last year and played in just one match in the recent 3-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka at home.
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There have been calls to regularly play the in-form top-order batter in India’s XI more so considering there’s an ODI World Cup to be held later this year. And former India cricketer Robin Uthappa thinks that it will be hard to keep the batter out for long time.
“In the upcoming World Cup, everyone can be an X-factor but I think right now at the top of my list is Surya Kumar Yadav,” Uthappa was quoted as saying by news agency IANS. “Although, he didn’t play much in the ODI series against Sri Lanka (but) I definitely feel like players, who are getting regular chances will be feeling the pressure to actually keep performing because if they don’t perform, they can’t keep Surya out for a long time.”
in 45 T20Is since making debut in March 2021, the 32-year-old has 1578 runs at 46.41 at an outstanding strike-rate of 180.34 besides three hundreds and 13 fifties to his name as well.
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“Surya is a multi-utility player, a very good timer of the ball and a sheer match-winner. He has been batting on a different level at the moment and is the only batter in that zone right home. As a team-mate, who has played with him in the past, I feel very happy for Surya because he has done a lot of hard work to reach this stage of his career,” Uthappa said.
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