After registering a sensational victory in the second Test against England at Lords Cricket Ground in London, Team India will enter Headingley, Leeds with their heads high for the third Test. The visitors defeated England in the second Test by a massive margin of 151 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Not to mention, no captain likes to alter the winning combination, especially on the overseas tours, and a similar thing can be expected from Virat Kohli. However, former India cricketer Farokh Engineer opined that India should make one change in their line-up for the third fixture.
Engineer reckoned that India should drop either Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane to pick Suryakumar Yadav. Both Pujara and Rahane have received severe criticism from all corners for their rough patch. However, the duo played useful knocks in the second innings of the Lord’s Test, forming a crucial 100-run partnership.
Similarly, Suryakumar has impressed one and all through his consistency in white-ball cricket. He, along with Prithvi Shaw, was drafted into the Indian side after Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan were ruled out of the series. Engineer termed Suryakumar as a ‘match-winner’ and a ‘class player’.
“Firstly, I am a huge fan of Suryakumar Yadav. I think he is a class player. I would certainly prefer him to Pujara or Rahane. They are class players, very good players, but Suryakumar Yadav is a match-winner,” Engineer told Sports Tak in an interview.
“With Shreyas Iyer out of the team with injury, I think Suryakumar should certainly be in the team. He is an aggressive player; he will get you a quick hundred, a quick 70-80. He is a fabulous batsman, fabulous fielder and a wonderful human being as well,” the 83-year-old added.
Engineer opined that Headingley is an ideal venue for batters, and it could be a great opportunity for Team India to play Suryakumar there.
“People are usually reluctant to change a winning combination but like they say ‘horses for courses’. It depends on the wicket in Headingley. I don’t see it being too different. The Headingley pitch will be a good Test wicket. It’s considered to be one of the finest batting pitches in the world. So, I would like to see the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav. He is the trump card in the team,” Engineer added further.
