"You have your ups and downs as international players" - Ricky Ponting backs Suryakumar Yadav to find a spot in 2023 World Cup squad
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has earmarked Suryakumar Yadav to find a spot in India's squad for this year's ODI World Cup despite a terrible run in their most recent series. Ponting believes every cricketer has their ups and downs and Suryakumar has shown what he is capable of in white-ball cricket.
"SKY" registered an unwanted record of perishing for three consecutive golden ducks during last month's ODI series against Australia. The 32-year-old fell twice to Mitchell Starc's inswinging delivery. He then batted at number seven in the third ODI and fell to Ashton Agar's left-arm spin as India lost the series.
When asked whether India should stick with Suryakumar Yadav, Ricky Ponting threw his weight behind the star batter. The legendary Aussie captain stated that every cricketer goes through a lean phase and noted that he had a stellar 12-18 months prior to the series.
Speaking on the latest episode of the "ICC Review," Ponting said:
"Yeah, absolutely. Everyone in their career goes through something like that. I mean, I'm not sure I have seen it before where someone's got three first-ball ducks in a row in an entire series. But look, we've all been there.
"You have your ups and downs as international players. His previous 12 or 18 months have been absolutely outstanding. And everyone around the world knows what Surya can do in white-ball cricket."
The 47-year-old reckons there might be inconsistency, but Suryakumar is an impact player.
"I feel they should stick with him because he's the sort of player that can win you a World Cup," Ponting said.
"He might be a little bit inconsistent but he's the sort of guy that in big moments can win you games. A bit like the late great Andrew Symonds did for Australia."
Suryakumar has managed only 172 runs at 12.28 for India in ODIs since his last half-century in February 2022. His poor form against Australia prompted former players and fans to question the absence of Sanju Samson from the squad for the series.
"SKY" also scored just a 16-ball 15 in the Mumbai Indians' 2023 Indian Premier League opener.
"I think the No. 5 slot's perfect for him" - Ricky Ponting on Suryakumar Yadav
Ricky Ponting also provided his views on Suryakumar Yadav's batting position. The Aussie believes Suryakumar shouldn't bat below five, given India's depth and said:
"I think he was only batting at five, wasn't he? I don't think they want him much lower than that, especially when they've got Hardik [Pandya], [Ravindra] Jadeja and Axar [Patel], they've got plenty of batting.
"I'm a big believer in giving your best batter as much time as you can in all formats of the game. Because if you keep them down the order, quite often you don't get to use your best players and that's the last thing you want."
He concluded:
"So I think the No. 5 slot's perfect for him and he's just got to grow into that role there."
The ICC is yet to announce the full schedule for the 2023 World Cup. England are the defending champions, having won their first-ever title four years ago on home soil.