Nehra also said there is no better opener than Rohit Sharma in the team presently.
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has called for Suryakumar Yadav’s inclusion in Team India’s playing XI for the crucial encounter against Afghanistan on Wednesday (November 3) in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
He believes that Suryakumar must replace Ishan Kishan in India's playing XI if the batter is fit, so that Rohit Sharma can open and Virat Kohli should come at No. 3 for the side in the do-or-die contest of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The former pacer also insisted that Kohli should bat at number three, as the number four position is too low a position for the Indian skipper in the T20 format.
Nehra told Cricbuzz: “If it was in my hands, I would definitely play Suryakumar Yadav. It’s not that Ishan Kishan is not a good player; you cannot judge someone based on one bad game. I would play Suryakumar Yadav because one, if he plays then Rohit Sharma can go back to the opening, which I feel is a very crucial position and there isn’t a better player than him to do it.”
He further added, “Secondly, Virat Kohli can go back to number 3, because number 4 In the T20s is too low a position for him. Thirdly, you are playing against Afghanistan, which is a spin-heavy team.
And when you talk about playing spin, the way Suryakumar Yadav has been playing the last few years, which is why you have picked him in the squad. This is a big ground and you can’t just deal in sixes. Ishan Kishan is someone who deals in sixes. Suryakumar Yadav can hit boundaries and take on singles as well. So if Suryakumar Yadav is fit, I would definitely play him.”
Nehra also warned the Indian batters that Afghanistan's spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi will pose a difficult challenge to the side on Wednesday.
He signed off by saying, “Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be especially dangerous. Nabi is also there, but India plays well against off-spinners, and while that doesn’t mean he will be easy to play, Rashid and Mujeeb have shown that around the world, they make life difficult for batters.
But I would say it’s not just their spinners, but their batters also complement them. It’s not like they are only dependant on their bowling.”
(Cricbuzz inputs)