The Tamil Nadu captain spoke very highly of Suryakumar, who played a good innings of 39 in the final ODI against South Africa.
Questions were raised as to the competence and balance of the current Indian squad following their shock defeat in the Test series and a whitewash in the ODI series against the Proteas.
Fans and experts across the globe were worried about India’s fragile middle-order, and also their bowling in the middle overs, as they were unable to pick up wickets in the absence of experienced all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya. Despite a forgettable tour altogether, veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has picked out a positive for team India from their disappointing outing.
Karthik lavished praise on Suryakumar Yadav, who played a good hand in the third ODI at Newlands, scoring 39 in just 32 balls in a knock that included four boundaries and the solitary maximum.
Yadav looked in ominous form and it seemed that he would be the one to guide India home, to avoid an embarrassing whitewash at the hands of the South Africans. However, his knock came in a losing cause, as the Indians lost wickets far too often, and were left struggling at 210/6.
Deepak Chahar’s excellent half-century brought India within touching distance of the finish line, but some dismal batting by the lower-order meant that India lost the game by a mere four runs and the series 3-0.
Yadav is batting on a different planet altogether; the kind of shots, the kind of positions, and the execution put together. He made batting look way easier than it was in that situation.
Give him the long run, I’m sure he will do wonders for India. But, he needs a long run. Now, every time he comes out, he is under pressure from the players above and below him. It is very hard to set fields for him,”
the 36-year-old told Cricbuzz.
He also praised Suryakumar’s incredible versatility and adaptability, as he said that while he is flexible to bat at any position, the tempo to his game will remain the same, regardless of the position. India were chasing 288 after Quinton de Kock’s terrific century propped up the hosts.
Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan scored fine half-centuries to put India in a good position, but the duo’s dismissal brought about a collapse, akin to what transpired in the first ODI, leaving the visitors at 210/6.
Chahar gave the Indians some hope with a 34-ball 54, but it was not to be as the lower order’s batting skills deserted them, as they fell short by four runs.
“SKY will play at the same tempo in any position. For Mumbai Indians also, he plays in a similar way coming in at No.3. You will get a good amount of runs if you play him at No.4 or 5, but I will bat him at No.5 or 6 in ODI cricket because he turns around games in quick time on a consistent basis”,
Karthik added.
