ICC World Cup 2023 | Suryakumar Yadav- Records, Profile & SWOT Analysis

image-lna2e9xpSuryakumar's ODI stats [OneCricket]

To the delight of cricket fans across the globe, the much-awaited ICC World Cup will get underway on October 5, with New Zealand taking on England in the tournament opener in Ahmedabad. Talking about India, the Rohit Sharma-led unit will kickstart its campaign against five-time champions Australia in Chennai on October 8. 

The Men in Blue have announced a formidable side for the marquee event. While there are plenty of familiar faces in the side, the inclusion of a few players has raised eyebrows. One such player is Suryakumar Yadav, who has made it into the World Cup squad despite several failures in the ODI format. 

As the batter gears up to silence his critics, let's analyse and find out what value he brings to the table. 


Suryakumar Yadav Player Profile

After grabbing a million eyeballs through his scintillating stroke play in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav was drafted into the ODI side during the side's Sri Lanka tour in 2021. Overall, he has represented India in 30 ODIs and 53 T20Is, establishing himself as a vital cog in the limited overs setup. 


Suryakumar Yadav Records

Suryakumar Yadav is reckoned as a match-winner in T20Is, thanks to his incredible consistency in the format. However, he has had a roller-coaster ride in his brief ODI career, garnering 667 runs at an ordinary average of 27.79 in 28 innings. The explosive batter has scored 283 runs at an average of 28.30 in 12 ODI innings in India.

Attribute
Matches
Runs
Average
Strike Rate
Suryakumar Yadav in ODIs3066727.79105.71
Suryakumar Yadav in India1328328.30108.43



Suryakumar Yadav SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Range vs pace: The primary factor that has kept Suryakumar Yadav relevant in India's ODI setup is his unreal range against pace bowling. He can hit through the V (long-on to long-off), while also being capable of smashing the ball, pitched on any length, to anywhere between deep square leg to deep backward point. His magical wrists make him extremely tough to bowl at, especially in the slog overs. 

Exceptional against wrist spin: In an era where having a wrist spinner is a must for a white-ball team, Suryakumar Yadav's ability to dominate them makes him special in the Indian batting unit. He doesn't hesitate to sweep, plays the inside-out with perfection, is extremely strong through square of the wicket and can also step out to send the ball over the V region. His impeccable record against wrist spinners (left and right) makes him a brute batting force in the middle overs. 

Attribute
Balls
Runs
Average
Strike Rate
SKY vs wrist spin in international cricket 24240050165.28


Weaknesses

Poor vs left-arm off spin: Despite being incredible against wrist spin, Suryakumar Yadav has had his struggles versus the left-arm orthodox spinners. Statistically, the right-handed batter averages only 17.6 against the slow left-armers in ODIs and could, therefore, be targeted by the likes of Mitchell Santner, Shakib Al Hasan and Dunith Wellalage in the marquee event. 

Attribute
Runs
Dismissals
Average
Dot Ball %
SKY vs left-arm off spin in ODIs123717.646.8


Struggles vs Movement & High-pace body line bowling: Besides left-arm spin, Suryakumar Yadav also finds it tough to score when the ball moves in the air and off the pitch. He has some technical flaws, which were exploited by Mitchell Starc in Australia's previous tour to India. Also, sometimes he struggles to accelerate against high-pace hit-the-deck seamers, making himself vulnerable to the likes of Mark Wood, and Gerald Coetzee etc. 


Opportunity

To establish ODI legacy: Despite being a prolific performer in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav hasn't lived up to the expectations in ODI cricket. However, the Indian management, led by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, has backed him to the hilt, considering his match-winning skills. So, given that it could be his first and last ODI World Cup, the 33-year-old would love to bring his A-game and silence his critics by helping India win. 


Threats

Inability to build innings: The one factor that has prevented Suryakumar Yadav from replicating his T20I success in ODIs has been his inability to build his innings. He loves playing shots all around the park, but in ODIs, the batters must play as per the situation. However, after several failures, he recently delivered a match-winning performance against Australia in Mohali, rescuing India from a tricky situation. So, we expect him to add versatility to his batting and play impactful knocks under contrasting circumstances in the World Cup. 


Player Rating

Technique vs Pace: 6/10

Technique vs Spin: 8.5/10

Temperament: 6/10

Range: 10/10

Experience: 7.5/10

Overall: 7.6/10