India vs New Zealand 2021: 3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav should bat at No.4
KL Rahul's muscle strain on his left thigh has paved the way for Suryakumar Yadav to make his way into the Team India side. However, the question of whether he's a walk-in in the playing XI remains to be seen.
With Virat Kohli rested for the first Test at Kanpur, starting Thursday (November 25), India will look for a revamped top order that already comprises openers Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3.
With both Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer in the side, the toss-up will be between the two players, both of whom have been impressive in their India careers so far.
We take a look at three reasons why Suryakumar Yadav must be India's No. 4 in the first Test.
#3 Suryakumar Yadav's been part of the Test setup
Both Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw were called up during India's Test series against England earlier this year. Although the duo never played a game, the Mumbai batter has been there in the side for a couple of Tests and knows the drill.
That just made him one of the frontrunners while Iyer can the time to recover from a shoulder injury that saw him return only in the second half of the IPL.
#2 Yadad's recent run has been promising
After scoring 62 in the first T20I against New Zealand, Yadav tapered off with scores of 0 and 1 in the next two games. However, prior to that, he had a great learning curve during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
In comparison, Iyer played fewer games and has considerably less game time. The think-tank will be keen to give Suryakumar Yadav a go in the first Test after looking at his recent performances.
#1 Yadav's stellar domestic record
Not many would counter the fact that Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the batters in the side with his fluent strokeplay.
After years of toiling on the domestic circuit and in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, Suryakumar finally has a chance to wear the Indian jersey against England earlier this year and he didn't disappoint.
Yadav has also played 77 first-class games and has a decent average of 44.01 while stacking up 5326.