Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir slammed Team India’s decision to drop Suryakumar Yadav for the third T20I against England.
Suryakumar Yadav, who managed to make his debut in the second T20I against England, didn’t get a chance to bat as India won by seven wickets, but he was surprisingly dropped out of India’s playing XI for the third game.
Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Gautam Gambhir raised concerns over India’s inability to test its bench strength. “Imagine if there is an injury issue; what have you seen of Suryakumar Yadav? What have you seen of Suryakumar Yadav in international cricket. I hope nobody gets injured but if there is an injury case and somebody needs to bat at number 4 and number 5. For example, there has to be a replacement for Shreyas Iyer, who are you gonna go for?”
Critical of India’s preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup, which will be played later this year, Gambhir said, “At least look at someone whom you have got into the setup. Probably give him that ‘opportunity in three or four games and see where he stands. If he delivers, you have got a backup for someone already batting at number four. If you get someone play him in that series and sees what he is giving in the future. We keep talking about preparations, but this is just no preparation for the World Cup. It’s just about looking at the same players what you have seen for so many years.”
Former England spinner Graeme Swann was also bemused after Suryakumar Yadav got dropped for the third T20I. However, he acknowledged that India was desperate to try out the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.
“I want to give a big shout-out to Yadav. Making his debut, not getting a chance to bat and then getting dropped. That’s one of the harshest things I have ever seen. But you’ve got to understand why they are doing it because they are desperate for Sharma and Rahul to get some form and games under their belts,” Swann said on Star Sports.
With the visitors currently leading the T20I series 2-1, it would be interesting to see whether Suryakumar Yadav would be featuring in the remaining two matches of the series.