Dubai 16 August : Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is confident batter Suryakumar Yadav will play in the India team to play in the ICC T20 World Cup in October of this year.Ponting also said that the 31-year-old wasn’t the only one to “step down” from a match, whatever be the circumstances. The Australian great has witnessed Yadav from afar in his early days in Mumbai in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and believes that Indian selection committee should take into account the middle order batter in the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup Down Under.
“He’s an extremely exuberant player, and I’m sure that he’s one who will be in their team and not just the squad,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
“I believe you’ll find him in their team for the T20 World Cup.If you find him in the team, then I believe everyone in Australia will be able to see a extremely good player.He’s quite a confident person.He is adamant and is never going to back aside from a challenge, or any situation in the course of a game.I think he believes he can prevail in this situation and thus continue to take the win for his team.”
Ponting stated that Yadav should bat at No.4 for India in T20Is.He also the cricketer’s star with South Africa great AB de Villiers.
Yadav has recently played with Rohit Sharma in the away T20I series against the West Indies and met with great success with a match-winning score of 76 off 44 balls that allowed the hosts to beat the West Indies in the third match to go one-two in the series of five matches.
India eventually won the series 4-1.
After playing 23 times in his T20I career, Yadav now sits at No.2 in the ICC T20 Batter Rankings which is second only to Pakistan captain Babar Azam, and has an average strike rate of 175.45 which is the highest for any player to play as many times as he in T20I history.
But, with India’s batting line-up being incredibly talented There’s no way to guarantee anyone’s spot in the squad with the T20 World Cup coming up in two months.However, Ponting believes there’s absolutely no reason that Yadav should not be in the squad.
Yadav’s self-belief is evident every time he is called upon to bat.In Nottingham last week, India looked down and out at 31/3, chasing 211, but Yadav hit his first T20I hundred and India were in the game for as long as he was on the field.
Ponting believes that “self-belief in his own game and his own talent” is what sets Yadav above the other stars who are emerging in the sport.
“Surya (Yadav) is able to score 360 degrees on the ground which is a bit like the way AB de Villiers was able to do in the days when he was in his best form.The lap shots, the cuts in the late stages as well as the ramps that go over the head of the keeper.
He can strike down the floor,” Ponting said.
“He is a great bowler across the leg side.He he flicks to deep backward squares particularly well, and is an excellent player of fast bowling, and is a very good player of spin bowling.”
Multi-skilled T20 batters are in great demand.His abilities make Yadav an appealing choice in the XI for India with the tournament in Australia is in the near future.
When asked if Yadav could make India’s top XI, Ponting said “he played better than anyone else in the Indian team over the final couple of games” and believed he ought to be included in the top order.”It’s going to be in the top four, I believe.I said stay with the guy (Virat) in his traditional position, which is third in the rankings,” Ponting said.
“For Surya, it’s one or two.I believe he is able to open but I believe he’s probably, you know better off if you just keep him from the ball Let him take control of the middle portion of the game, outside of the Powerplay all the way in the middle and, should he be in the final minutes you’re aware of what might occur.”
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