The Indian captain pleaded for more time even as the scrutiny rises against his middle-order maverick at No.4, with talented hopefuls waiting in the wings.
Even as consecutive first-ball ducks against Australia further sharpen the knives against Suryakumar Yadav’s ODI spot, Rohit Sharma believes it’s a matter of time before India’s valiant T20I maverick is able to nail the 50-overs format, too. The Indian captain retained a patient outlook towards his middle-order cog despite him failing to hit the strides in the longer version of the game so far.
Identical dismissals against a firing Mitchell Starc inswinger in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam without a run on the board have further tightened up the screws against the Mumbaikar, who has crossed the 30-run mark only twice in his last 10 innings.
Going in a completely opposite direction with his T20I game, Suryakumar Yadav has found it difficult to quickly get used to the tempo of batting in the ODIs. That being a scenario cultivated purely out of regular game time at the height of the build-up towards successive T20 World Cups hasn’t helped the batter’s case at all.
The outside scrutiny has been on the rise further due to the fact that there are other middle-order hopefuls waiting in the wings to pounce on their opportunities. But Rohit is willing to wait for the tide to turn, as he believes Suryakumar is perfectly capable of adapting and succeeding to the demands of 50-overs cricket.
Part of the reason behind the skipper’s lenient attitude towards Suryakumar Yadav’s struggles is the potential absence of the side’s two crucial middle-order players: Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.
While Pant looks set to miss the World Cup later in the year after going through a life-threatening car crash, Iyer is currently dealing with a back injury, which, if it requires surgery, could sideline for a lengthy period of time as well.
Given the reality of the situation, Rohit said it’s important for him and the management led by coach Rahul Dravid to wait before a decision can be made on Suryakumar’s ODI fortunes.
“We don’t know about (Shreyas) Iyer’s return. At this time there is a spot available so we have to play him (Suryakumar). He has obviously shown a lot of potential with white ball and I have said it many times before (that) guys with potential will be given some run,” Rohit told the press after India’s poor defeat in the second ODI of the Aussie series on Sunday (March 19).
“Of course, he knows that he needs to do while in a slightly longer format of the game as well. I think things are there in his mind as well. Like I said, guys with potential will have enough run where you know they should not feel that ‘Okay, You know I wasn’t given enough chances in that particular slot’.”
The limited number of ODIs before the World Cup doesn’t help the selectors and the management, but Rohit insisted that his No.4 will be given another “7-8 games” for sure, including the looming trip to the Caribbean in August, which precedes the Asia Cup in September. The World Cup will be played in October-November.
