Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik heaped praise on batter Suryakumar Yadav after his impressive performance in the third and final ODI against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town.
Suryakumar wasn’t picked for the first two ODIs of the three-match ODI series against South Africa. The right-hander got the opportunity in the final ODI and he made an impressive 39 during Team India's unsuccessful 288-run chase against South Africa in Cape Town on January 23.
Notably, Suryakumar has so far played 11 T20Is and 4 ODIs for India, and Karthik said that the cricketer needs to be given regular opportunities to have his best service for the national side.
The veteran cricketer further praised Suryakumar, saying that he will do wonders for India if he is given regular opportunities in one-day cricket. He further said that Suryakumar is batting on a different planet altogether and that he can bat at any position at the same tempo.
Karthik told Cricbuzz: “Suryakumar Yadav is batting on a different planet altogether; the kind of shots, the kind of positions, and the execution put together. He made batting look way easier than it was in that situation. Give him the long run, I'm sure he will do wonders for India. But, he needs a long run. Now, every time he comes out, he is under pressure from the players above and below him. It is very hard to set fields for him.”
Suggesting batting position for Suryakumar in India’s ODI line-up, he said: “SKY will play at the same tempo in any position. For Mumbai Indians also, he plays in a similar way coming in at No.3. You will get a good amount of runs if you play him at No.4 or 5, but I will bat him at No.5 or 6 in ODI cricket because he turns around games in quick time on a consistent basis.”
Karthik also lauded Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his batting expertise and said that the latter can bat at number 5 or 6 and there will be no difference in his job with the bat.
He signed off by saying, “Jadeja is ready to bat at No.6. In fact, he is batting so well that he can play at No.5 as well. He is not the reckless kid anymore, he is using his head now and winning games with the bat, and in white-ball cricket, his stronger suit might be his batting. He will deliver for you consistently because he has got a good head on his shoulders and he knows how to take a game deep.”
