Suryakumar Yadav has been sitting pretty atop the ICC T20I rankings, however, he has failed to replicate the goods in the ODI format so far. Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal feels that Suryakumar is getting many chances because the BCCI want to ensure they have someone who has scored runs aplenty in T20Is in case some players who are currently injured cannot get fully fit by the ODI World Cup 2023 comes around.
After the BCCI announced India’s squad for the 3-match ODIs against West Indies on Friday, Akmal was ‘quite surprised’ to see SKY’s name in the list.
The 32-year-old has scored just 433 runs in his 23 ODI outings for India with an average of 24.
Surya’s numbers are much more promising in T20I cricket, and he also smashed 605 runs in 16 matches for Mumbai Indians, finishing as the leading run-scorer in IPL 2023.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akmal highlighted that Surya has benefitted from the absence of other players, and that’s why he is getting chances in ODIs.
“Suryakumar Yadav’s selection in India’s ODI squad was quite surprising. He has had a lot of opportunities. He is getting so many chances because India want to ensure that if some of their injured players don’t get fit before the World Cup, they still have someone who has scored big runs in T20s,” said the Pakistan legend.
The 41-year-old went on to name Rinku Singh as one of the players whom he felt India must give a chance in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Rinku became a household name after smashing five sixes in a row during IPL 2023 season and almost cemented his place as a top finisher in the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
“Rinku Singh played many match-winning knocks for KKR in this IPL. I believe that he should surely be a part of India’s T20I squad. He deserves to be a part of the national team,” Akmal stated further.
The 25-year-old Uttar Pradesh batter scored 474 runs in 14 matches with a stunning average of 59.25 showing plenty of promise which could be rewarded by the selectors.
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