Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has expressed surprise over Suryakumar Yadav’s batting place against UAE in the Asia Cup. After Abhishek Sharma was dismissed in the fourth over, SKY decided to bat at one drop.
Yadav scored seven runs off just two balls, scoring a six on the first ball he faced. However, Bangar noted that Tilak Varma had been batting at number three position in the past and had done a fantastic job on the South Africa tour.
“I was surprised that Surya came in at No.3. So far we have been used to seeing Tilak at No.3. I still believe that No.4 is the right position for Suryakumar Yadav, and that is a position, at which he has scored the most number of runs, and his average there is also quite high,” Sanjay Bangar said on ESPN Cricinfo.
On the other hand, Aakash Chopra said Sanju Samson, who was earlier opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma, could have batted at number three.
“The left-hand-right-hand combination is not written in stone, but one thing is for sure, Sanju did not come out at No.3. We were all thinking that if a wicket falls in such a run chase, it is an early wicket, so Sanju could have come in,” Chopra said.
Bangar also backed Samson to bat at number three. Samson has scored three centuries in the last 12 T20Is and deserves his chance at the top of the order.
“It could very well be Tilak batting at No.5, and Sanju still getting that slot in the top three, would be the best way to optimise the resources. You can’t look past the three hundreds that he has scored in the last 10 matches or so,” Bangar said.
On the other hand, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra said it would be unfair if Sanju Samson bats in the middle order.
“If you ask me, it (Samson in the middle order) is not correct. Because now you are going to judge a player on the basis of his performances at a number that is not rightly suited for him. Even in the Kerala League, he started in the middle at No.5 or No.6, did not get the runs, went to open, scored a lot of runs, because that is where he feels more comfortable. Now, you have gotten him out of his comfort zone, because you are trying to play a different combination, maybe of no fault of his,” Chopra said.
India will next take on arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, on Sunday.
