IPL 2017: 5 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav must bat higher up the order for KKR
The Indian Premier League is a tournament where the forgotten players can make a mark and the real stars can be forgotten, all in the matter of an Indian summer. One such player who garnered fame and enjoyed a decent amount of success in the 10-year-old tournament is Mumbai-born Suryakumar Yadav. The right-hander caught the eye after a highly remarkable domestic run in the 2010-11 season. In the wake of the same, he was roped in by the Mumbai Indians for the 2012 IPL season.
We must take note of the fact that before 2014, uncapped players could not register themselves for the IPL auctions. But in the 2014 IPL auction, Yadav was bought for INR 70 lacs by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Since then, he has played 52 matches for the KKR outfit and has an IPL career strike rate of 132.04. However, he has struggled to make an impression in this edition in particular. One of the major reasons for his misfiring run in the IPL 10 could be the position he bats at.
The right-hander has earned a reputation for finishing off the innings but is that all he can do? Does he have more to offer? Well, here are the 5 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav should be batting higher up the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders:
#1 Less pressure
Handling pressure is one of the key components a player must showcase repeatedly in his career if he wants to earn a tag about being a specialist in a particular facet of the game. And T20 demands the pressure handling ability coupled with quick execution – the biggest challenge in the format. Well, if we take a look at Yadav’s recent performances, we have to admit that, in the quest of scoring swiftly in the slog overs, he has departed a number of times.
In this year’s IPL, Yadav has batted mostly at the number 6 position and every time he has come out to bat, the youngster was always under pressure to play a quickfire knock. Perhaps, it has not worked in his favour and all his scores of below 20 in the first few fixtures assert the same. However, if he comes out to bat slightly higher then that gives him a chance to set himself perfectly for a blitz in the final overs of the innings.