Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, has expressed his support for Suryakumar Yadav despite his recent form in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Dravid stated that the team management is not worried about the Mumbai Indians star’s performance in the 50-over format and emphasised the benefits of having an in-form Suryakumar in ODIs. He also highlighted that the veteran batter has not played as many ODIs as he has T20 matches, where he has consistently performed well, including in the high-pressure Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dravid’s comments came after Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team’s captain, had recently stated that Suryakumar will be given an extended run in ODIs, with the team backing him in the 50-over format of the game. Suryakumar’s place in the side has been questioned after he was dismissed for back-to-back golden ducks in the ongoing ODI series against Australia. However, Dravid’s support for the experienced campaigner suggests that the team is looking at the bigger picture and recognises his potential in ODIs.
“Not really concerned about Surya. He got two very good balls. One of things about Surya is that he is learning the 50-overs game. The T20 is slightly different. In T20, he has played 10 years of IPL,” Dravid said ahead of the series decider in Chennai.
“He (Surya) has played a lot of T20 cricket. He has played a lot of high pressure T20 games. Like IPL for T20 cricket, there is not enough high-pressure tournaments for ODIs at the domestic level, apart from the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“Even though he has played a lot of t20 cricket I think he has not played a lot of one-day cricket. We need to give him some time and be patient with it. We certainly see the upside of him doing well,” added Dravid.
Suryakumar was included in the Indian team for the three-match ODI series against Australia in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who was ruled out due to a back injury. However, the 32-year-old has struggled to find form in ODIs, with an average of less than 25 in the 22 matches he has played so far.
