Suryakumar Yadav is now a must-have in India's first-choice World Cup XI
Suryakumar Yadav’s genius in T20 cricket is unquestionable. Those who have watched him play at least once will testify to it. Even those who have not will have heard fables about how he toys with bowlers, makes fielding placements look ridiculous, and pushes the boundaries of what can be done when wielding the willow.
All of that, at least in theory, should ring true in ODIs too. Yes, it consists of 60 more overs (both innings included), but it is played with a white ball. The bowlers are more or less the same. The fielding restrictions are perhaps more forgiving.
Thus, till about a week ago, it was one of the greatest cricketing mysteries that Suryakumar, arguably the greatest batter to have ever played T20I cricket, was struggling in the 50-over format, looking rustic and anything but the batter who dominates bowling attacks for fun.
Several theories were thrown around too. Was he suited to bat lower down the order? Should he be batting at No. 3 or 4, like he does for most T20 teams he represents? Or was he just a bad ODI batter, unsure of the tempo and the technique required to crack this format?
Numerous people would have spent countless hours analyzing the data, digging deep into his technique and whatnot. But the solution was simple all along. Suryakumar just needed a bit of time to get acclimatized to the format, which considering the diet of T20 cricket he feeds on, is not a very unreasonable expectation.
Over the past few days, or more specifically the first two ODIs against Australia, that has come to fruition. Two consecutive 50-plus scores and Suryakumar has looked as good as he has ever done in this format.
Suryakumar Yadav has repaid India's faith
Credit, of course, must be given to the Mumbai Indians star for how he has turned around his fortunes. An equal chunk of the credit, though, must be reserved for the team management, including captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, who have openly backed the right-handed batter, giving him the platform to flourish and find his feet.
So, now that he has emerged from this dark tunnel, the next question is whether he warrants a place in India’s first-choice 11. Past records say that Shreyas Iyer should play. Left-right combination enthusiasts will argue Ishan Kishan adds variety. Sceptics will say that just two fifties should not be enough to overlook what Shreyas has done (when fit) and what Kishan has managed in the past few months.
But this is Suryakumar Yadav we are talking about. A special cricketer. A genuine match-winner. A proper point-of-difference player. And for such individuals, a few allowances can be made. Or rather, must be made.
This, by the way, is no blot on Kishan or Shreyas’ credentials. Both of them are excellent batters and great middle-order options to have. Suryakumar, though, just brings that extra oomph to India’s batting unit.
That could not have been more evident than when he hit Cameron Green for four consecutive sixes in the 44th over. The first ball went over long leg and the next over fine leg. The third was creamed over extra cover, while the fourth was whipped away into the stands over deep mid-wicket.
At no point did it seem that he went out of his way to hit these sixes. This is what he has been doing in T20 cricket all along, and this is what Suryakumar, in form or not, is always capable of producing.
Apart from his inherent and God-gifted ability, what makes him a must-have is how different he is from India’s other middle-order batters. KL Rahul and Shreyas can build an innings excellently. On most days, however, their strike rate will hover around 100, which is not bad and is something a majority of teams would love to have. It is just that Suryakumar, on a good day, will rattle along at a much quicker pace.
Even Hardik Pandya, as he has matured, has tended to start off slowly before teeing off. Ravindra Jadeja, too, likes taking his time now. Suryakumar, in contrast, can race out of the traps and in a quick spurt, can rack up 30-40 runs – runs that can be the difference against powerful batting units.
At Indore, the right-handed batter notched up a 24-ball fifty, the fastest any Indian men’s batter has ever managed against Australia in an ODI. He ended with 72 off 37, despite scoring only nine runs off his last seven balls. So, technically, he slowed down towards the end, yet, he struck at a shade under 200. Not bad, is it?
As things stand, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have the opening slots locked in. Virat Kohli will bat at No. 3, and Rahul, in all likelihood, will bat a spot lower. Pandya and Jadeja will be the all-rounders at No. 6 and 7, although Pandya, having shown greater game awareness in recent times, can also bat at No. 5.
Whichever way you look at it, the aforementioned batters have immense international batting pedigree and would be counted upon to score heavily throughout the course of the World Cup.
The question, thus, is whether they need another batter who will accumulate runs, at perhaps a run-a-ball, or risk playing someone who will tear the opposition to shreds if he gets going.
The counter-argument, of course, is that Suryakumar, because of how he bats, will not be successful every time he plays. But even if he comes to the party two out of five times, he will have put the game beyond the opposition.
Had other Indian batters not really been in form, or if they were unsure of how solid they were, it would have made sense to have someone like Shreyas in the middle, who can alternate between grafting and attacking.
Now that the rest of the line-up is in fine fettle, though, Suryakumar’s X-Factor becomes even more appealing, and perhaps impossible to turn down. Well, at least that is what one school of thought is. If that is echoed by the Indian team is another matter altogether.
But if they do continue with him through the World Cup, they will have a genuine match-winner on their hands. A proper point-of-difference player. A special cricketer. The kind that ends up winning you World Cups.