Suryakumar Yadav's ODI Future in Jeopardy As Struggles Persist in West Indies Series, Equals Suresh Raina's Record
Surya's poor form has been a topic of grave concern for the Indian Team. (Twitter)
The 32-year-old batter, Suryakumar Yadav has had a brutal year so far, having faced consecutive failures in the ongoing 3-match series against West Indies. Despite this poor form, he was given another opportunity and selected in the Indian playing eleven for the first ODI, chosen over Sanju Samson. However, his performance in that match was disappointing, as he could only manage to score 19 runs off 25 balls while batting at the number three position.
In the second ODI, he was moved down the batting order to number six, hoping for better results, but unfortunately, he failed once again. Despite the Indian team's batting collapse, he had a chance to play a match-winning innings, but he could only score 24 runs off 25 balls. These consecutive failures have put his participation in the third ODI scheduled to take place on August 1, in doubt. Even if he gets another opportunity, the pressure on him will be immense.
Adding to his challenges, Suryakumar now shares an undesirable ODI record with Suresh Raina, as he has not been able to score a fifty in 17 consecutive innings. The last time an Indian specialist batsman faced such a prolonged drought without a fifty-plus score was Suresh Raina between November 2010 and September 2011.
With KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer expected to return from injury before the World Cup 2023, and Sanju Samson also in contention, Suryakumar's chances of securing a spot in the squad appear to be diminishing. Despite receiving strong support from captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, his performances have not lived up to their expectations. Currently, his ODI average is a modest 23.8 in 25 matches, and he is yet to reach the 500-run mark.
SKY is going through a challenging phase, struggling to score runs and make a significant impact in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies. With stiff competition from other players vying for a place in the World Cup squad, his lack of substantial scores may hamper his chances of selection, despite the support from key figures within the team.
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