"Test cricket is not played like T20s" - Salman Butt's suggestion to Suryakumar Yadav
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt believes that Team India's Suryakumar Yadav won't succeed in Test cricket using the same approach he adopts in white-ball cricket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he stated that Suryakumar should look to spend some more time at the crease, suggesting that a batter can't change the course of a Test match in just one session. He noted that the swashbuckler cannot be playing red-ball cricket like a T20 game.
The 38-year-old claimed that England's batters could afford to play in an attacking manner during their tour of Pakistan last year because of the flat pitches. He reckoned that it won't be easy to replicate the same on Indian tracks.
"How many times has a batter changed the game in just one session?" Butt explained. "A bowler can surely do that by taking three or four wickets in a spell. But batters need time. One-session glory happens very rarely in the career of a batter. The dynamics of Test cricket are different from those of ODIs and T20Is.
"Suryakumar Yadav is a skilful player who can afford to take some time at the crease. He doesn't need to play like a T20 match. Test cricket is not played like T20s. Also, those aren't wickets like Pakistan where you'll be able to bat like how England did."
Notably, Suryakumar made his Test debut for India in the first Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. However, he failed to contribute significantly with the bat, managing just eight runs before falling to off spinner Nathan Lyon.
Suryakumar Yadav expected to retain his place in India's playing XI for second Test if Shreyas Iyer is unavailable for selection
Suryakumar Yadav found a place in India's playing XI for the Test series opener against Australia after middle order batter Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the match due to a back injury.
There is still no official confirmation regarding Iyer's fitness and Suryakumar is expected to retain his place in the side for the upcoming second Test. He has emerged as a mainstay in the Men in Blue's white-ball teams with his consistent performances and will be hopeful of translating his stunning form into the longer format as well.
Suryakumar Yadav starts his Test career with a boundary. https://t.co/E9QjoMctpJ
It is worth mentioning that Suryakumar has performed admirably well in domestic cricket for several years. The 32-year-old has hit 14 centuries and 28 fifties in List-A cricket and has 5549 runs to his name in 79 matches at an average of 44.75.