"You cannot tinker with your team combination just to accommodate a left-hander" - Saba Karim wants Suryakumar Yadav to be India's No.4 in ODIs
Former India cricketer Saba Karim believes that Team India's Suryakumar Yadav should be made the permanent No.4 batter in ODIs.
He said that Suryakumar should have played in that position ahead of Rishabh Pant in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. Karim suggested that the Indian think-tank should not change the team's combination just to have a left-handed batter in the middle order.
Karim made these remarks during a discussion on India News Sports on Wednesday, November 30. He said:
"I wanted Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.4 in this series. You cannot tinker with your team combination just to accommodate one left-hander. It's not Rishabh Pant's fault.
"Team management is to blame for the decision. I believe that No.4 is the ideal position for Suryakumar Yadav. It is not going to benefit India if they continue to be rigid about having a left-hander for that spot."
Suryakumar showcased stellar form in the T20I series against the Blackcaps, mustering 124 runs in two matches. However, he wasn't able to come up with similar performances in the ensuing ODI series, finishing with 44 runs from the three games.
Karim also pointed out how most of the Indian batters struggled to get going in the ODI rubber. He stated that apart from Shubman Gill, no other batter was able to impress him. The former selector added:
"I am disappointed with the way the youngsters have performed with the bat. Barring Shubman Gill, there aren't any other batters who have impressed a lot.
"You have to come up with exceptional performances if you want to cement your place in the ODI team. But we didn't see that from the young guys in this series."
The Shikhar Dhawan-led side suffered a 1-0 ODI series loss to New Zealand. The Men in Blue's batting let them down in the third and final fixture as they were bundled out for just 219 runs. The match was eventually called off due to rain.
"You cannot form a cohesive unit when you play with two separate teams" - Rajkumar Sharma on Indian team management
During the discussion, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma highlighted how having different team management for every series may not be the right thing to do.
He mentioned that when there are two captains, they are unlikely to be on the same page, given that they make decisions based on their own goals. He believes that due to such situations, it isn't possible to carry out a plan by keeping the future in mind.
Sharma added:
"India have a different team management with different captains and coaches for every series. If so, how can you expect everyone to be on the same page? Shikhar Dhawan wanted to win the series and hence played Shreyas Iyer at No.3. He won't think that once Virat Kohli returns, he is going to claim the No.3 spot.
"These problems are bound to happen unless there is only one captain and coach for every series. You cannot form a cohesive unit when you play with two separate teams."
Update: Team India (Senior Men) and India A squad for Bangladesh tour announced.
Mored details here - bcci.tv/articles/2022/… #TeamIndia
While Shikhar Dhawan led the team in the ODI series against New Zealand, regular skipper Rohit Sharma is set to return for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The ODI series opener between the two Asian nations will be played at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday, December 4.