West Indies cricket great Brian Lara backed Mumbai batsman Suryakumar Yadav and said he should have been in the team on the Australia tour. Yadav played outstandingly well for Mumbai Indians in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

IPL 13 was the second-best season for Suryakumar in terms of runs scored. He added 480 runs with an average of 40 and strike-rate of 145.01, which included four half-centuries.

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Lara feels Yadav is a class player and he should have been on the flight to Australia. "Yeah, definitely. He’s a class player. I don’t just look at players that score runs, I look at their technique, capabilities under pressure, positions that they’re batting, and for me, Suryakumar Yadav has done such a wonderful job for Mumbai," he told Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

"He comes to bat on the back of Rohit Sharma, and Quinton de Kock, and every time, they are under pressure, he comes in at No. 3. Just remember, your No. 3 batsman, other than the openers, the No. 3 batsman in any cricket team is normally your best player, your most reliable player. And for me, he has been that for Mumbai Indians and I see no reason why, looking at the squad, he can be a part of it."

Suryakumar had himself admitted that he was disappointed after not being selected in the India cricket team. However, he is now focused on making the upcoming opportunities count to keep in contention for the selection.