Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has shed light on Suryakumar Yadav’s poor form before the third T20I against England. SKY’s last five T20I innings read as 12, 0, 1, 4, and 21 and thus he hasn’t been at his best in the recent past.
Yadav has managed only 12 runs in two T20I matches against the Three Lions and he would look to bat at his best in the third game. Chopra noted that India is adopting the ploy of sending a right-hander (SKY) if Sanju Samson gets dismissed whereas Tilak Varma comes out if Abhishek Sharma gets dismissed.
“Suryakumar Yadav needs to be spoken about once again. As of now, a left-hander is coming in place of a left-hander and a right-hander is coming in place of a right-hander at No. 3. However, if Surya doesn’t score runs, the genuine question will be to send Tilak at No. 3 whether a left-hander or right-hander gets out because Tilak scores runs whenever he plays at No. 3,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“So you might be asked to give the No. 3 position to him. The No. 3 position used to be and should have been Suryakumar Yadav’s. So this is a crucial moment because you cannot carry on the left-right philosophy for too long unless Surya scores runs. Time is running out, my friend,” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator noted that it is crucial for SKY to score his runs consistently for India.
“Eventually, you need to score runs. He played an unusual shot in the first match, but that’s his playing style. In the second match, he was slightly unlucky – played-on and got out. The third match has come, there will be two more matches after this, and then there will be no T20Is for a while. He is not there for ODIs, won’t play the Champions Trophy, and then it is the IPL,” he said.
Under SKY, India has won 15 out of their 17 T20I matches after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup and Chopra highlighted the Indian skipper is doing a good job.
“It’s otherwise going right for SKY in T20Is, he is rotating his bowlers well, the field placements are okay, tosses are going in his favor, and he is continuously winning, no one has been able to beat them, but the king cannot demand but has to command respect, and he needs to score runs to command respect,” Chopra observed.
The third T20I between India and England will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot on Tuesday.
