While Suryakumar Yadav has taken the T20I format by storm, he is yet to embrace the 50-overs version of the game. Yadav has been dismissed by Mitchell Starc in the first two ODIs of the ongoing series without even troubling the scorers.
The right-hander has been troubled by the opposition’s pack leader with the ball coming back into him. Yadav has been plumbed in front by Starc on both occasions for a golden duck.
However, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has played down concerns over SKY’s form and he reiterated that players who have the potential will be given a consistent run in the team’s final XI.
“We don’t know about Iyer’s return. So, at this point in time, there is a spot available. So we have to play him (Suryakumar). He has shown a lot of potential with the white-ball and I have said it many a times before, guys with potential will be given a run,” Rohit Sharma told the reporters.
‘Of course, we have seen and he knows that he needs to do well in the slightly-longer format of the game as well. Things are there in his mind as well. Guys with potential will have enough run so that they don’t feel like ‘okay I wasn’t given enough chances in that particular slot’.
“Surya got out in the last two games and in the series before that as well. He needs that consistent run, like back-to-back games, 7, 8 and 10 games like that. So that he feels more comfortable.
“Right now, he has gotten the place when someone is injured or when someone has not been available. That doesn’t solve the purpose as to… the management can’t look into his performances so much.
“When you give that consistent run, then you feel okay, the runs are not coming, he is looking uncomfortable and things like that. Then we will start thinking about it, right now we are not thinking in that route,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav has failed to grab his opportunities in the ODI format as he has scored only 433 runs in 22 ODI matches at an average of 25.47.
It will be interesting to note if SKY will be backed in the third ODI of the series. The deciding ODI between India and Australia will be played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday.
