"Confident that he is surely going to translate his red-hot T20I form into ODIs" - Saba Karim on Suryakumar Yadav
Former wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim believes that Suryakumar Yadav's form is going to be crucial for Team India at the all-important 2023 Cricket World Cup at home.
During a discussion on India News Sports, Karim highlighted how Suryakumar was the top performer with the bat of the Men in Blue's T20I team in 2022. He backed the dynamic batter to come up with similar impactful performances in ODIs as well.
Speaking about Suryakumar's role in India's ODI team, Karim explained:
"Suryakumar Yadav will no doubt be the key for India this year as well. The way he performed in 2022, and how he changed the dynamics of T20 cricket with his batting is commendable.
"I am confident that he is surely going to translate his red-hot T20I form into ODIs. He will play a major role in this year's 50-over World Cup. It is very important for him to fire with the bat if India want to do well in the upcoming ICC event."
Suryakumar Yadav wins the best T20I player of the year award 🤩
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Notably, Suryakumar currently occupies the top spot in the ICC's T20I rankings for batters. The 31-year-old was the leading run-getter in T20Is last year, finishing with 1164 runs in 31 outings.
However, he failed to perform consistently in 50-over cricket, mustering only 260 runs in 12 ODIs in 2022.
"Suryakumar Yadav is one such player who will be India's X-factor in 2023" - Rajkumar Sharma
In the aforementioned video, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma stated that Suryakumar Yadav could be one of India's key players in 2023.
Apart from Suryakumar, he named young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan and talismanic all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the other two players who could very well be the team's best bet in white-ball cricket.
"Suryakumar Yadav is one such player who will be India's X-factor in 2023, Sharma said. "Apart from him, there is Ishan Kishan, who has played some explosive knocks in recent outings. Kishan is going to be a very important player.
"There is also a lot of hope from India's T20I captain, Hardik Pandya. If these three guys are able to perform to their full potential, India will attain great success."
#TeamIndia squad for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
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#TeamIndia squad for three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
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India and Sri Lanka are set to play six white-ball matches this month. The T20I series opener is set to kick off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 3.
While Hardik Pandya will lead the side in the T20I series, Rohit Sharma will return to lead the team in the three 50-over fixtures.