Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a golden duck in all three ODIs against Australia.
Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson have been trending on social media ever since the Mumbai star was dismissed for a golden duck in all three ODIs against Australia as Team India lost the ODI series.
Given that Samson has a better record than Suryakumar in ODI cricket, many fans and cricket experts felt the time has come to give the Kerala star chances in the 50-over format as Suryakumar failed to make an impact in the format despite getting a lot of opportunities.
As people have been calling to replace Suryakumar with Samson in the ODI team, the Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev felt the team management was doing the right thing by backing the batter and asked people to stop comparing the duo, as it is unfair.
Kapil Dev told ABP News: “A cricketer who has played so well will always get more chances. Don't compare Surya with Sanju Samson, it doesn't seem right. If Sanju goes through a bad phase then you will talk about somebody else. This should not happen. If the team management has decided to back Suryakumar Yadav then he should be given more chances. Yes, people will talk, give their opinion but ultimately it's the management's call.”
Speaking on sending Surya at No.7 in the third and final ODI in Chennai, the 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder said: “It's very easy to talk after the match is finished. Maybe the idea behind sending Suryakumar at No.7 was to give him an opportunity as a finisher. This (shuffling of the batting order) is nothing new in ODIs. This has happened many times before.”
The legendary all-rounder added, “Yes, at times it can happen that a batter's confidence is dented if he has been dragged down the order. But the onus rests on the player to tell his captain that 'I can handle myself in the top order.' The coach and captain must have taken the decision with particular thinking.”