Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said that India needs to bat Suryakumar Yadav at No. 7 if they want him to be a part of their playing XI for the upcoming ODI World Cup. However, the batter has finally found his rhythm in the one-day format with a well-made 50 off 49 balls against Australia in the first ODI in Mohali on Friday, September 22 as well. He also smashed a quickfire 72 off 37 with 6 fours and 6 sixes in the second ODI as well. And, Gambhir feels Suryakumar’s best will come in a similar situation to that in T20 cricket, with around 15-20 overs left in the Indian innings as well.

Speaking to Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said: “If Suryakumar Yadav is in your first playing XI, then I would want him to bat at 6-7, but the big question will then be who will bat at No. 5. Then Jadeja can bat at No. 5, Hardik at 6 and Suryakumar as finisher where he can bat in the final 15-20 overs.”But it will be a huge gamble deciding whether you want Jadeja at No. 5 and Suryakumar, in the form that he is in ODI cricket, at No. 7. This would put a lot of responsibility on the top four.”

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However, Suryakumar Yadav is happy to score in ODIs after a long time. For someone who had cracked the T20 format, he stated that he kept wondering what was going wrong in one-day cricket as well. Speaking about the adjustments he had to make in Mohali, Suryakumar Yadav told the host broadcaster after the match:

“I was wondering what was happening. The color of the ball is the same. The teams are the same. The bowlers are the same. I think I was hurrying a bit. I thought, let’s take a little more time, calm myself, take it slowly, and try to bat deep.”