"I'm sure the Indian team knows, but they are not obliged to tell me or you" - Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav's role in the ODI setup
Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra spoke about the ongoing experimentation with Suryakumar Yadav's batting position in the ODI team. The right-handed batter has been a revelation for the team in the shortest format but has been unable to translate the same form into the 50-over format over different conditions and circumstances.
Yadav has now gone 17 ODI innings without a fifty, with his last half-century coming in February 2022. He has played across all positions in the middle-order during that timeframe and was most recently promoted to No. 3 in the first ODI against the West Indies. He made an appearance at No. 7 as well during the third ODI against Australia in March 2023.
Chopra highlighted the lack of clarity in Yadav's batting position in ODI cricket. He said on his YouTube channel:
"Surya Kumar is batting sometimes at No 3, sometimes at No 6, what is his role in the side? Is he a finisher or a proper middle-order batter? What is the thinking process behind this? I'm trying to understand. I'm sure the Indian team knows, they are not obliged to tell me or you."
The right-handed batter averages 23.80 in the ODI format after 23 appearances so far. He is still in consideration for India's World Cup squad because of his ability and also because of injury concerns to middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
"We all are trying to decipher what the team is trying to do, what is their plan exactly?" - Aakash Chopra on Team India's experimentation
With only a couple of months remaining for the 2023 ODI World Cup, the ongoing set of ODIs against the West Indies marks the start of the final leg of preparation. In terms of ODIs, India are scheduled to play the third contest of the series in the Caribbean and participate in the Asia Cup, along with a bilateral series against Australia before the event unfolds.
Admitting that he is finding it difficult to understand the logic behind some of the decisions that have been made of late, Chorpa said:
"The topic of discussion at this point of time is the preparation of the Indian team. We all are trying to decipher what the team is trying to do, what is their plan exactly? What are they trying to do?"
Chopra continued:
"The questions are being asked because if this series was viewed as an avenue for experimentation then it should have been made clear before itself. Everybody would have been on the same page then. The selectors would have then rested Virat and Rohit, and they would have directly played the Asia Cup."
Team India has sent Ishan Kishan to bat at the top of the order across both ODIs so far, while the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Axar Patel have been promoted as well. Senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested for the second ODI, as India lost the contest by six wickets under Hardik Pandya's captaincy.