Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri said that struggling Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav needs to give himself more time in the One-day format while keeping the same approach as his T20 batting as well. While Surya is the No.1 ranked batter in the world in the shortest format, he has found the ODI format a bit tough.
The talented player has scored only 537 runs in 27 games at a poor average of 24.40 with two half-centuries as well. But team management kept their faith in the destructive batter and added him in the provisional 15-member World Cup squad. However, Ravi Shastri believes that by giving himself more time to find the rhythm in the middle, Suryakumar Yadav could win games on his own.
READ MORE: Virat Kohli shares the importance of maintaining diet
Speaking to Fox Cricket, Shastri said: “If I were to speak to him, I’d tell him just keep it simple. Just remember you’ve got a little more time on your hands when it comes to 50-over cricket. You don’t have to change too much. You still keep it simple, like how you approach T20 cricket. In 50-over cricket, give yourself an extra five balls, you’re allowed to, but don’t change anything else. Keep that tempo going; there are other batsmen around you who can do the job. If you pull it off, play 40-50 balls, you might just win the game on your own.”
Meanwhile, considering the side has rested many key players for the first two ODIs against Australia, Surya will get more game time during the series and he will also try to justify his selection for the World Cup as well. Ravi Shastri also said that the current side is the strongest Indian team since the 2011 World Cup-winning team as well.
READ MORE: “Can be the future captain of India” – Kiran More on Ruturaj Gaikwad
“They know the conditions, they know the terrain. To be honest, I think this is the strongest India team since they won the World Cup in 2011. I say that simply because this group has been playing with each other for five years. They’ve got youth in the form Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav, and they’ve got experience with Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and (Ravindra) Jadeja. It’s a very good unit. A lot of variety there, a lot of depth there. I see them ticking most of the boxes, going in as one of the strongest sides India has produced in the last ten years,” concluded Ravi Shastri.
