"If a player is in form, then his position shouldn't be tinkered with" - RP Singh on Suryakumar Yadav
Former Indian left-arm pacer RP Singh feels in-form batter Suryakumar Yadav should be India's No.4 in ODIs.
The 31-year-old scored a sparkling 117 in the final T20I and he seemed to be a great choice for India's much-debated two-down spot. However, Rishabh Pant batted in that position at Lord's and failed to trouble the scorers. Yadav came in at No. 5 and scored 27(29), unfortunately chopping one onto his stumps.
Speaking to Cricbuzz ahead of the third ODI, RP Singh explained why constantly changing a batter's position in the line-up might affect his form. He said:
"I feel Suryakumar Yadav should certainly bat at No. 4. Rolling back to the time when Virat Kohli, who was at his best at No. 3, sometimes shuffled himself at the top of the order and sometimes Rahul played in that position."
Singh added:
"If a player is in form, then his position shouldn't be tinkered with at that point."
Really enjoying how career is shaping up for Suryakumar Yadav. Once Rahul comes back in ODI, it might be hard to find a place but he is making big impact in each & every opportunity.
The 36-year-old also believes the visitors need to give importance to consolidating their innings and building partnerships if they lose wickets in clusters. He continued:
"England have understood that they need to bat deep and need to build partnerships if a wicket falls. India might need to follow that template."
RP Singh went on to say:
"You can't just assume the runs to be scored looking at the average score on a particular ground. The weather at that point is also crucial. 300 runs are not possible in every game and both teams will be wary of that."
🏻
England win the second #ENGvIND ODI.
#TeamIndia will look to bounce back in the series decider on Sunday. 👍 👍
Scorecard 👉🏻👉🏻 bit.ly/ENGvIND-2NDODI https://t.co/9pjXrRktJH
RP Singh feels England will be unchanged
England will certainly be buoyed after their emphatic 100-run win in the second ODI. Although captain Jos Buttler hasn't quite been among the runs, RP Singh doesn't feel the hosts will make any changes to their batting line-up. He stated:
"I don't think there will be many changes (in batting order) made by him (Buttler). They have made clear with a same team in the second game that this is their best XI and this is their batting line-up and bowling attack. They are also known to stick to a particular approach for a long time."
The third ODI between the two teams will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday (July 17).