Former India all-rounder Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Suryakumar Yadav will play at number five in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With superstar Shreyas Iyer out injured, Suryakumar Yadav paves the way for red ball cricket.
Shubman Gill, KL Other batsmen likely to make waves in the middle order are Rahul and Ishan Kishan. But Manjrekar supports Suryakumar at number five.
Manjrekar said this in an interview given by ESPN Cricinfo.
“I think India will go at number six and Suryakumar Yadav will play the first Test. Suryakumar has played 79 first-class matches. We are witnessing a unique career. It has been here for a long time.
I think he will play as there are not many options in the squad. Even if he thinks for a second that he doesn’t need to hit sixes in the 50-over format, he can still score at a strike rate of 120.
Suryakumar is not just a hitter of sixes, he can also play good sweeping shots. It’s a great shot to put pressure on the opposition spinners,’ he said.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, BCCI called Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan in the team because of the need for hard hitters in the middle order. Skye and Ishan Kishan were included in the squad by dropping star Sarfaraz Khan.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is likely to witness Suryakumar’s international debut in the red-ball format. The management and fans strongly believe that the brutal hard hitter in the white ball format will be able to perform in Tests as well.
Suryakumar Yadav is Mumbai’s star in Ranji. Suryakumar played 132 innings in 79 first class matches for Mumbai and scored 5549 runs.
Suryakumar’s highest score is 200 at an average of 44.75. Suryakumar has scored 14 centuries and 28 half centuries.
Content highlight: Sanjay Manjarekar for Suryakumar Yadav
