India is still in experimental mode, looking for answers before finalising their 15-member squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup, and the ongoing West Indies series provides Rohit Sharma and the Indian team management with an ideal opportunity. The experiment of opening with Suryakumar Yadav, on the other hand, has not gone down well with many experts in the game, including former India captain and ex-chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who was furious with the India captain over the decision.
Suryakumar started both games of the T20I series against the West Indies. He hit three boundaries and a six on his way to a 16-ball 24 in the first match, but only 11 off 6 in the second, with a single maximum.
Srikkanth, speaking to Fan Code ahead of the start of the second match in St Kitts on Monday, issued a stern warning to Rohit over his strategy of using Suryakumar as the series opener, arguing that a World Cup certainty could lose confidence after a couple of failures, which India cannot afford.
“At No. 4, Suryakumar Yadav is a brilliant player.” In the T20 World Cup, he should bat at No. 4. So, why do you want to force him to open? If you need someone to open, replace Shreyas Iyer with Ishan Kishan. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t spoil a cricketer like Suryakumar Yadav. Please do not do so. I’ll tell you what will happen: after a few failures, he’ll lose confidence. “Cricket is a game of confidence,” he said.
“Whatever it was, I had no idea what it was about.” If you were going to use Rishabh Pant as the opener for a couple of games, you should have used him today. Give him at least five chances. Furthermore, the captain, Rohit Sharma, and the coach, Rahul Dravid, support the players for at least 5-6 games,” he said on Fan Code.
