IND vs ZIM 2022: 3 reasons why India must persist with Suryakumar Yadav
It has been an ODI series to forget for Suryakumar Yadav against the West Indies so far. With scores of 13 and 9 in the two games, the Mumbai batter has had little to contribute.
While two innings is hardly a parameter to judge his performance, Yadav's run against England in the three-match ODI series was quite average with returns of 27 and 16 in the two matches he played.
As competition charges up between players to find a spot in the crowded Indian middle-order, Yadav, a frontrunner to take the No.4 spot, will be feeling the heat to make a case for himself.
With India playing Zimbabwe next month, there's no doubt that he will find himself heading off to Harare (unless the selectors pull off a shocking move to omit him from the squad), we take a look at three reasons why India must persist with the Mumbai Indians star despite his recent struggles.
#1 Technique-wise, Suryakumar Yadav isn't out for form
A good look at both his dismissals against the Windies shows he's chopped the ball onto his stumps, but not before scoring some boundaries to get his starts.
One of the signs of a struggling batter is his inability to find the fence, and Suryakumar Yadav has not had that issue. In fact, he's rarely looked fidgety while batting, and that shows that he perhaps had the wrong choice of shot for the delivery that was shaping away from him.
#2 He is still India's best bet at No.4
While KL Rahul was initially looked at as India's answer to No.4 and even tried at the position during the 2019 Cricket World Cup, his exploits as an opener will surely see him as a prime candidate to walk out to bat with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Now, although there's ample jostling between Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer and even Rishabh Pant to take the No.4 slot, Yadav's temperament and his ability to bat through the innings makes him the best bet to bat in that slot.
#3 Can't keep him quiet for long and ability to handle pressure
Suryakumar Yadav comes from that generation of cricketers where the value of the wicket is prized more than the volume of runs they score — a trait that's waning in recent times. The batter has all the shots in the book and his lean run is only a temporary dip.
Against a Zimbabwe unit that promises to be a handful, Yadav's knack of scoring quick runs and in buckets makes him a valuable asset to the side as India look to experiment with their bench on another tour.