Suryakumar Yadav has been in remarkable form in T2OIs this year which has seen him rise to the top of the T20I batters rankings. The star batter is the leading run-scorer in the format this year with 1164 runs to his name in 31 innings at an average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 187.43. However, the 32-year-old has failed to carry his good form in ODI cricket. Former head coach Ravi Shastri pointed out that while there is nothing alarming to worry about Suryakumar‘s approach in ODIs, there are a couple of things the batter might want to improve.
Shastri advised Suryakumar Yadav to take his time in ODI cricket since the format is a lot longer than T20Is.
“That can happen. But what he can learn is that this is two-and-a-half times the size of a T20 game. He has got that many more balls to play. He can wait that bit longer. His USP is total devastation towards the end of the innings. He has got ample time to reach 30-40 before that with a lot more number of balls. So, in his case, it’s about giving himself that extra bit of time. That impact quality that is needed can wait a little bit because this game is a little bit longer,” Shastri said exclusively on Prime Video.
SKY has just played 16 ODIs so far, scoring 384 runs at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 100 with a couple of half-centuries to his name. In the recent ODI series against New Zealand, he had scores of 4, 34 not out and 6 in three innings. With the ODI World Cup approaching next year, SKY is expected to seal his spot in the team and play a major role in the mega event.
It’s just a change in the mindset : Ravi Shastri
“It’s nothing major. It’s just a change in the mindset of the length of the game and the number of deliveries he has got to play. When you play in the sub-continent, normally if he goes to bat, he will be doing it at No. 5 when the score would be nice and high more often than not. And then he can make an impact straight away. In conditions that suit his batting, the bowlers don’t have much on offer so you can change it. But here, adjustment needs to be made. And he would learn from it. He is a smart cricketer. We have seen that with the way he improvises so this is not difficult for him,” Shastri added.
Suryakumar Yadav has been rested for the Bangladesh tour starting 4th December.
