Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra is in awe of Suryakumar Yadav after his heroics in the ongoing limited-overs series in Sri Lanka. Suryakumar made his One-Day International debut in the first game and scored vital runs with the bat before notching his maiden fifty in the second ODI.
His batting prowess was on display during the first T20I as well with a fine fifty. In the limited given opportunities, Surya has shown glimpses of being a good prospect in the middle-order going forward.
Also Read: Ashish Nehra predicts India’s bowling line-up for WTC Final
Ashish Nehra also feels the same and believes he is the biggest gain from the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.
“There are plenty of positives but the biggest positive for me is Suryakumar Yadav and the way he played these two innings. He couldn’t convert the starts into a big innings but when you talk about X-factor, skill, no doubt, Suryakumar Yadav has it in the middle order,” Nehra said on Cricbuzz.
“We have seen that for Mumbai Indians, he has opened, played at No. 3 and 4 as well. Here he played a bit lower in the batting order but if you look at his fours, singles… the confidence he has shown is worth praising. That is a big plus.”
Nehra believes Surya is right up there in the top bracket along with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant in the T20 cricket and has the ability to get fit at any place in the batting order.
Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav reve iials when things changed for him
“There is no such thing that he is a must-must. He is already in T20I and ODI teams. Even if Shreyas Iyer would have been in the team, even then he (Suryakumar) must have gotten a chance. In T20Is for India though, it is no longer the scenario that you have the same 4-5 good batsmen,” Nehra added.
“If after them, you ask me to name a batsman, I would out Suryakumar Yadav there. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya… he is no less than them. He is right up with those guys. Whenever he has been given a chance, he has always adapted even if he isn’t habitual of batting at that position.”
Suryakumar can make a place for himself ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE, scheduled to be played from October 17 to November 14.
