India batter Robin Uthappa heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav, saying the right-hander is a dangerous batter in any position, thanks to the array of shots that he has got in his arsenal.
He further said that Suryakumar brings a sense of versatility and can bat at any position since he doesn’t take time to get going and suggested that Shreyas Iyer is someone who should be given the number three position to bat, keeping in mind the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Suryakumar has been batting at no.3 for Team India in T20Is and is likely to get more opportunities at that position, but Uthappa feels the 31-year-old should play at no.4 or 5 in order to give Rishabh Pant a little bit of confidence and support to finish games, as India needs a dependable finisher ahead of the next ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Uthappa told ESPNCricinfo, “I think the guy (Suryakumar) brings in a sense of versatility and the fact that he can actually move up and down the batting order. I have seen him at No.5 and 6 and I have seen him do incredibly well in that position as well.”
Explaining how Suryakumar at the lower down the order would also help Pant, he said: “I feel someone like Shreyas Iyer would fit really well in that No.3 position because he likes to take a little bit of time. Surya is not like that. Surya goes in there and gets going, and the array of shots that he has got makes him a very dangerous batter in any position. So I think you should look to bat him at No. 4 or 5, so that (Rishabh) Pant's got some support along there to finish games.”
He signed off by saying, “I think it will give him (Pant) a little bit of confidence. It will be something that will do him good as he moves forward into that same position, trying to finish innings; because India needs a finisher, a dependable finisher. These small steps, as we move forward towards the World Cup, are going to be important steps for someone like Rishabh Pant.”
