Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has endorsed Suryakumar Yadav as a vital player for India in the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Yadav’s blistering half-century helped India secure a 99-run win (DLS) over Australia in Indore. Harbhajan Singh expressed his belief that Suryakumar Yadav should be an automatic selection in India’s playing XI for the World Cup. Although Harbhajan didn’t specify whose place Yadav should take, he emphasized Yadav’s importance in the team.

“Suryakumar Yadav should play every match. In whose place, I don’t know. But his name should be the first one to be written down. After that, the other players should be selected,” stated Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan Singh further praised Yadav’s ability to impact matches significantly, noting that no one in the team can match his strike rate. Yadav’s remarkable innings in Indore saw him score an unbeaten 72 runs off 37 deliveries, including six boundaries and as many sixes.

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“He is a player who can win you games and completely change the complexion of a match. When he performs, he will turn the match into a one-sided one. There is no better player who can bat at a better strike rate,” Harbhajan Singh added.

Harbhajan Singh firmly believes that Suryakumar Yadav should feature in every World Cup match for India. Yadav has accumulated 659 runs in 29 ODIs for India, maintaining an average of 28.65.

“While we have finishers like Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, I feel Suryakumar Yadav should play at No. 5. He should play every World Cup match. No team has a better player than him,” emphasized Harbhajan Singh.

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India will be aiming to continue their winning momentum against Australia in the third and final ODI of the series, which is scheduled to be held at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on September 27.