"Should play Suryakumar Yadav" - Ramiz Raja on India's playing XI for Test series opener against Australia
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja believes that India must accommodate dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav in their playing XI for the first Test of the four-match series against Australia.
He opined that Suryakumar would boost the team's chances of winning the series opener, given his ability to score runs at a brisk pace. Raja pointed out that playing with a high strike rate has created pressure on the opposition in Test match cricket lately, citing the example of England's 3-0 win over Pakistan.
The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that the Indian selectors have made a smart move by adding several T20 stars to the Test side.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he explained:
"India should play Suryakumar Yadav. He will generate pace with the bat. They have named a lot of T20 players in their squad for the first two Tests, which is good because action is what gets a thumbs-up from everyone in Test cricket these days.
"We saw how England scored 350-400 runs in a single day against Pakistan. The more pace you generate, the more pressure you can create. India have a great opportunity to create pressure."
Notably, Suryakumar is one of the top contenders to replace Shreyas Iyer in the side's playing XI, as the latter has been ruled out of the first Test due to injury. The swashbuckler impressed many with his exploits in red-ball cricket earlier this year, mustering 223 runs in just three innings in the Ranji Trophy.
Raja also mentioned that Rohit Sharma's captaincy will be tested against Australia, as it is expected to be a tooth-and-nail fight between the two nations. He reckoned that there wouldn't be a single session in which Pat Cummins and Co. would not put up a strong fight.
On this, Raja commented:
"Rohit Sharma's captaincy will be put to the test, there is no doubt about that. There isn't going to be a single session in the first Test where Australia won't fight hard. There won't be any flat sessions. The strategy needs to be full-proof and so does the selection. There also needs to be clarity over the conditions they want to trump Australia."
The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is set to kick off at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9.
"Beating India at home is almost an impossible task" - Ramiz Raja
Ramiz Raja then went on to highlight Australia's recent experience of playing in subcontinent conditions. He noted that the side were involved in a tough Test series against Pakistan last year.
The 60-year-old suggested that the Aussies would create relentless pressure on the Rohit Sharma-led side. He claimed that the series is of utmost importance to them, as winning against India in their own backyard will be a herculean task.
Raja said:
"Australia recently played a very gruelling Test series in Pakistan. It was a very tough series, with matches going on till the final day. They played the pressure points better than Pakistan in the last half an hour to win.
"Australians are known to create relentless pressure and will do the same in this series as well. They know that it is a very big series for them, as beating India at home is almost an impossible task."
One sleep to go.
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It is worth mentioning that Australia completed a historic Test series win on Pakistani soil in March 2022, beating the hosts 1-0. However, their record in India has been quite modest in recent years. They have not won a Test series in the country since 2004.