India scored 188/8 in the first innings against Oman.
It is not everyday that you see Suryakumar Yadav not walking out to bat in a T20. However, September 19 happens to be that day. The Indian skipper did not make his way out to bat in their fixture against Oman.
India posted a competitive 188/8 in the first innings after Suryakumar won the toss and decided to bat first. The decision to bat first came on the back of India having chased on both the occasions in this tournament. Going into the Super 4s, the team would be in good stead knowing their potential in the first innings.
Though the total they got to is competitive, the Men in Blue did not have the start that they would have liked. Vice-captain Shubman Gill was dismissed with the team total at six runs. The dismissal occurred in the second over of the match. However, Sanju Samson’s composed knock of 56 was what carried India through the middle-overs. Abhishek Sharma’s quickfire 38 and Tilak Varma’s robust unbeaten 29 steered India well past 180.
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The Indian skipper was seen padded up in the dugout. However, despite regular wickets falling, he never came out to bat. The reason behind the move was to test India’s batting depth. As a result, the likes of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh were promoted to bat above Suryakumar Yadav in the order. Suryakumar had made it very clear at the toss that he would like to test the batting depth of his team. But holding himself behind as the last man to bat would not have been the best thing for Indian fans to see.
India managed to get to a competitive total. Considering how the pitch at Abu Dhabi behaves, the Men in Blue have always had tremendous power in their bowling attack. To add to that, the Indians added a pace option to their arsenal for the game. Both Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh came into the team for their last group stage fixture.
But Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to hold himself back will surely have a lot of opinions coming his way. The fact that he held himself to bat at No.11 might spark a lot of debates in the cricketing fraternity. India will take on Pakistan in the Super 4s clash on September 21. Furthermore, they will face Bangladesh on September 24 and Sri Lanka on September 26.
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