"It will naturally form a place for him in the XI"- Ashish Nehra on Suryakumar Yadav's incredible form
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra believes star batter Suryakumar Yadav has the capability to become a huge success for India across formats. The No.1 ranked T20I batter was also named the ICC men's T20I cricketer of the year 2022.
However, 'SKY' hasn't quite been able to cement his place in the ODI team, once again not converting a couple of starts that he got in the series against New Zealand. There has been a debate about whether India can afford to keep a player of Suryakumar's caliber out of the one-day team.
In a video posted by the ICC, Ashish Nehra gave his opinion on whether Suryakumar Yadav should get a permanent place in India's ODI team. He said:
"Let's hope that he shows this form across formats because he certainly has the capability. He has played a few one-day games, but if he continues to perform at the level he is, it will naturally form a place for him in the XI. So if players are pushed to their limit with such performances, either they have to raise the bar or Suryakumar is always there to take place."
Not at all surprised with Suryakumar Yadav winning the award: Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra also claimed that he had no doubt in his mind that Suryakumar Yadav would win the ICC men's T20I cricketer of the year 2022. SKY had an incredible year where in 31 T20Is, he scored a staggering 1164 runs at an outstanding average of 46.56 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 187.43.
Nehra hailed Yadav for maintaining such a high average with a healthy strike rate throughout the year. He stated:
"It is not surprising at all. This is such a Surya (Sun) that has shone consistently if you talk about the past year or two. Hopefully, he can carry this on because the kind of consistency that he has shown at such a high strike rate has been sensational. His confidence is at an all-time high and this is a fantastic achievement for any player because of how competitive T20 cricket is and yet Suryakumar has left behind so many big hitters in the game. "
Will SKY be able to cement his place in the other formats for India? Let us know in the comments.