Is the SKY falling on Suryakumar Yadav's ODI career?
2022 was undoubtedly the year of Suryakumar Yadav (SKY). The right-handed batter could do no wrong as his international career finally took flight.
Like a brand new Ferrari going from zero to a hundred, he was cruising along, no matter the conditions or the opposition. Not only did he become India's best T20 batter, but he also earned a reputation as one of the best T20 batters in the world. And rightly so!
However, Ferraris aren't meant for Indian roads. Well, that's the popular opinion anyway, because of the numerous potholes and speed bumps along the way, of course. There's no point in having a top speed of 240 clicks if you can't avoid bumps along the way, is there? It'll only do more damage to the car.
Well, it's been a similar case for SKY's ODI career so far.
The idea of having him in the Indian ODI setup is obviously appealing considering his form in the shortest format. Rishabh Pant is expected to be unavailable for the rest of the year and a serious cloud hovers over Shreyas Iyer's fitness following news that he needs back surgery.
That means India have yet again been left searching for a number four in a World Cup year.
With their hands being forced into picking an in-form batter, the team management couldn't resist picking Suryakumar Yadav either. Of course, they couldn't. Who wouldn't want a match-winner like that in their side?
However, it's proved to be a bumpy road so far. Despite two consecutive golden ducks in this month's ODI series against Australia, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid backed SKY to come good ahead of the third ODI.
"We certainly see the upside of him doing well. Surya getting runs ODIs would be very good for the team", said Dravid.
Rohit Sharma was humming a similar tune, saying that his fellow Mumbai Indians batter will be given a longer run in the format.
"Like back-to-back games, 7-8 or 10 games like that so that he feels more comfortable," said the Indian captain.
The third and final ODI of the series on Wednesday (March 22) didn't change much though. In fact, it made matters even more tricky. SKY's lean patch extended to a third golden duck in a row, with him ending the series without managing to get bat on ball and lasting only three balls in total.
As a batter, it doesn't get any worse than that.
With only 433 runs in 21 innings, averaging a mere 24.05, SKY hasn't hit the same heights he has shown in the shortest format. A strike rate of 102.12 catches the eye, but it almost takes a backseat when the average is where it's at.
In his last 10 ODI innings, he has only scored 101 runs. For a player of his caliber, the numbers are appalling.
For one reason or another, India are left with a limited number of options with time soon starting to run out as the World Cup looms large later this year. The team will play three ODIs (against the West Indies and Australia) on either side of the Asia Cup, which is to be held in September.
They'd ideally want to go into the Asia Cup with a set squad of 17-18 players for obvious reasons. This is something that Rahul Dravid has already mentioned too.
So, for SKY in this situation, a lot depends on how he turns up in the Indian Premier League (IPL). If he finds his best form in the shortest format again, he will most definitely earn an extended rope for the national side. If he doesn't, the sky could well be falling on his ODI career.
In situations like these, it's the responsibility of the team management to help their players through such patches and work their way around them. India attempted to do something similar in the final ODI against Australia.
While the end result might not have paid off on this occasion, the idea was right. Or at least it felt that way.
SKY could thrive as a floater in the Indian batting lineup
When India lost a couple of wickets in quick succession with the score at 77/2 in the third ODI against Australia, KL Rahul walked out to bat alongside Virat Kohli. The move took a few by surprise, considering the spinners were in operation.
A few more eyebrows were raised when Axar Patel walked in at five after Rahul was dismissed.
Evidently, the move was for the tactical matchup to tackle the leg-spin of Adam Zampa and the left-arm pace of Mitchell Starc. With an unfortunate runout, that didn't pay off either.
Hardik Pandya walked in next before Suryakumar Yadav finally made his way out at number 7, in the 36th over of the match.
Now, that's the key. If you've followed the evolution of ODI cricket closely, you'll know there's a shift in mindset for the batting teams after the 35th over. So, teams now see this as an opportunity to send in their most attacking batters with the license to take the game to the opposition.
Australia have adopted this method fairly successfully with Glenn Maxwell, even if it means he's batting lower down the order than he usually would. It works the other way around too, much like it did for South Africa when AB de Villiers was promoted up the order against the West Indies at the Wanderers in 2015. Yes, you know the knock that's being referred to.
The comparisons to ABD and SKY aren't new, of course, and neither do they suggest that SKY is as good or bad as the former South African. It's a mere reflection of how similar their approach to the game is, with 360-degree batting being a common feature.
From the team's perspective, the most important thing here is to note the entry point of the batter. Going into the final 10-15 overs, the batting team wants to make sure they inject some impetus into their innings, depending on the situation of the game.
Australia usually hold Maxwell back because they know the kind of threat he can bring at the backend of and the fact that he is capable of scoring quick runs from ball one. That wasn't always the case though.
There were times when the Australian all-rounder was criticized for his ultra-aggressive approach which cost him and his side at times. However, with time and experience, he's now able to pick his moments to attack and defend a lot better than he did, especially when batting with the lower order.
India could follow a similar pattern with SKY. A lot of the focus in modern-day cricket is on tactical flexibility teams can work with. India did their best to work things around in their favor in the third ODI. The end result might not have gone their way, but it gives them a better idea about how to go about things in the future.
Batting as a floater doesn't rule out the possibility of promoting SKY up the order if the situation allows it either. That's the whole point of having a floater.
If the top order manages to score 200 in 30 overs on a good day, the team will want someone who can up the ante further and take the game away from the opposition. SKY could be that someone for the Indian side.
Not only can he go from zero to a hundred real quick, he can prove to be the difference between a score of 300 and 350. It doesn't sound like a lot but could be significant, especially against teams like Australia and England.
Looking from the outside, one can only assume how things unfold. With the IPL scheduled to start next week, India will only play their next One Day International in July or August. Plenty can happen between now and then, of course.
If the team management opts to give SKY a consistent run of 7-8 games they promised, they'll have to give him and the rest of the middle order a certain sense of clarity with regard to their respective roles. The last thing they'd want is a repeat of the mishaps from the build-up to the 2019 World Cup.