Ahead of the game, India head coach Dravid provided an honest assessment of Suryakumar’s prolonged decline as the audition for the World Cup selection nears its conclusion.
Tuesday will be India’s final ODI match before the Asia Cup, after which the management and selectors will have a final 15 in mind. They do have another bilateral series before the World Cup, a three-match series against Australia at home, but the team is unlikely to experiment and will only play their starting lineup as their last preparation for the major competition. This means that Suryakumar Yadav’s final chance to buy himself some time, if not prove his case completely, will be the Trinidad encounter next week. And, prior to the game, India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, revealed his candid assessment of Suryakumar’s ongoing decline as the audition for the World Cup selection approaches its completion.
Suryakumar has been given a golden run in the format since the beginning of this year in the absence of a recovering Shreyas Iyer, but he failed to capitalize on it. The 32-year-old is known for his 360-degree game in the shortest format, where he got to the top of the ICC rankings, but he has yet to replicate that in 50-over cricket.
Suryakumar scored 19 runs in the first match of the series against the West Indies before getting caught LBW while attempting to play the sweep shot off a delivery from Gudakesh Motie. He gave up his option to sweep in the second game but ended up squandering his start again when attempting to cut Motie for 24. Suryakumar’s two runs added to his tally of 17 innings since his last fifty, during which he managed only 251 runs at an average of around 13 and only one score above 25.
Speaking to the media after India’s six-wicket loss in the second ODI in Barbados, Dravid confessed that Suryakumar has failed to live up to the expectations he set for himself in T20 cricket, but he still has the team’s support despite the figures.
“Look, Surya is a really good player; there’s no doubt about it,” Dravid added. “His performances have demonstrated that, particularly in T20 cricket but also in domestic white-ball cricket.” He has had some outstanding performances. Unfortunately, he’d be the first to confess that his ODI numbers fall short of the high standards he’s set in T20s. He is, however, learning about one-day cricket.
“He played a lot of competitive T20 cricket through the IPL before making his India debut, but he hasn’t played much one-day cricket because there isn’t an IPL in one-day cricket.” So I believe he’s learning as well, trying to figure out how to bat in those middle overs. He’s a gifted player, and we want to give him as many opportunities as we can. It is now up to him to seize those opportunities. But, in our situation, we like to provide individuals as many opportunities as possible.”
Suryakumar would want to make an impression in Trinidad in the third ODI since Iyer and KL Rahul are scheduled to return for the Asia Cup following an injury layoff, making it tough for him to earn another chance.
Rahul Dravid reveals whether India’s trials with Rohit and Kohli will continue in the series decider against WI.
After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were benched for the second ODI against the West Indies, Rahul Dravid outlined Team India’s team selection philosophy.
On Sunday, India was defeated by the West Indies by six wickets in the second ODI of their three-match series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. The hosts achieved 182/4 in 36.4 overs, chasing a target of 182 runs, thanks to unbroken knocks from captain Shai Hope and Keacy Carty. Hope hit an undefeated 63 off 80 balls, while Carty smashed 48 off 65 deliveries. Shardul Thakur picked up three wickets for India’s bowling attack.
India rested skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the match, and it showed as they were bowled out for 181 in 40.5 overs. Ishan Kishan led the way for India, scoring 55 runs off 55 balls. Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd each took three wickets for the West Indies.
After the game, India head coach Rahul Dravid justified his decision to rest Rohit and Virat. He also indicated that India would employ a similar technique for team selection in the forthcoming World Cup and Asia Cup games.
“I believe we will always consider the big picture. To be honest, with the Asia Cup and World Cup coming up as well as the injuries we have, we have to look at the broader picture at this point in the cycle. Such things must be considered. We can’t be concerned about every single game and series. If we do that, I believe we will make a mistake,” he remarked.
The West Indies also ended a 55-month losing streak against India (a nine-game losing streak). The West Indies last defeated India in an ODI in December 2019, winning by eight wickets in Chennai.
Rohit and Virat are set to return to the playing XI for the third and final ODI, which also serves as the decider. Hardik Pandya, India’s stand-in captain for the second match, remarked of the forthcoming match, “Being a turtle at the moment, not a rabbit.” I’m hoping that everything goes smoothly throughout the World Cup. They will be tested, as will we now that the series is 1-1. The next game will be thrilling for both viewers and players.”
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