Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim has stated that he would select Suryakumar Yadav prior to Sanju Samson in India’s World Cup 2023 squad due to his game-changing abilities. However, Karim recently named his preferred Indian squad for the World Cup to be played later this year. Assuming Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will be fit by then and available for the marquee event, he chose Suryakumar as the backup middle-order batter in the squad ahead of Samson as well.

During an interaction with News24 Sports, Karim said: “I still feel Suryakumar Yadav is a game changer. If you talk about both of them, I feel Suryakumar Yadav has more match-winning ability, which he has shown in T20s. I would always back that sort of player because he can turn the game in your favor from an extremely difficult position as well. It is a different thing that he hasn’t scored runs. He hadn’t scored runs in T20Is as well but then how he came back and scored runs in the IPL. So it depends on how you back the players and what role you give to them.”

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Saba Karim also added Suryakumar Yadav’s role in ODI cricket. Suryakumar has scored 433 runs at an underwhelming average of 24.05 in 23 ODIs. But, he has had a poor run in 2023, managing just 49 runs in six innings and getting out for a golden duck in each of his last three outings as well.

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“If you are playing Suryakumar in ODIs and expecting him to score runs as he does in Ranji Trophy, it’s not going to happen. You will have to give him a specific role, which has been given to him in T20Is because of which he is performing. No, that is not required. I will communicate more with Suryakumar Yadav. I feel he is a player who has reached a level where you can’t tell him a lot. You expect him to tell you what he wants to do and then you will define his role in the team accordingly,” Saba Karim concluded.