Suryakumar Yadav, a prominent middle-order batsman for the Indian cricket team, faces a crucial role in the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Despite his mastery in the T20I format, Yadav’s performance in One Day Internationals (ODIs) has been far from impressive. Over the course of 2022, he participated in 23 ODIs, amassing a mere 387 runs with an average of 20.36. This subpar ODI form raises concerns as he is among the chosen 15 for the World Cup squad. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, speaking on Star Sports, sheds light on the improvements Suryakumar Yadav needs to make in his ODI performances.

Sanjay Bangar emphasizes a significant challenge faced by Suryakumar Yadav in ODI cricket – finding boundaries, especially during the middle overs when the ball becomes old and scoring becomes more challenging. Bangar remarks, “In a T20 match, the ball remains solid for the entire innings. In ODIs, in the last five overs for each team, the ball becomes soft because of which you don’t get boundaries that easily. And the second thing is, every batsman needs to find that formula on how to score runs.”

Bangar elaborates that Suryakumar Yadav appears to be struggling to devise a clear strategy for scoring runs during the middle overs (between the 25th and 40th over). While Yadav is known for his ability to target boundaries, he needs to adapt and focus on rotating the strike effectively during this crucial phase of the game.

Bangar comments, “I don’t think he is clear in his head and heart about how to score runs in this period. He can play like he does in the T20 format, but if wickets fall, he needs to find out how to rotate strike between the 25th and the 40th over, and he needs to find his own method to score runs here which he is obviously thinking about.”

Sanjay Bangar shares his perspective on Suryakumar Yadav’s inclusion in the playing eleven for upcoming tournaments like the Asia Cup and the World Cup. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balanced and effective lineup.

“According to me, if the team has an opening where he can play, he definitely should. But to put him in the starting eleven only for him to get game time, I don’t think the team needs to do all of that,” Bangar says, suggesting that the team should focus on selecting players who contribute to the proper combinations.