The upcoming limited overs series against Sri Lanka will give a lot of fringe players an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the squad for the T20 World Cup, slated to be held in UAE and Oman.
Mumbai cricketer Suryakumar Yadav, who made an immediate impact after making his India debut against England, will be a player to watch out for in the series.
Former India batsman and renowned cricket pundit Sanjay Manjrekar is of the opinion that Suryakumar Yadav could fit the number 3 role for India in the T20 World Cup, given his attacking style of batting.
“Yes, I think he (Surya) is one of the front-runners, especially with the news coming out that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going to be India’s openers. There could be a number three slot open for me,” Manjrekar said during a virtual interaction, as reported by news agency PTI.
Yadav made his much anticipated India debut earlier this year and attracted attention with his strokeplay. His attacking shots were a breath of fresh air for an Indian team, which has often been guilty of opting for a traditional approach in T20 cricket.
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His national call up was a result of some consistent seasons for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and Manjrekar opined that he has not seen anyone bat the way Surya did for an entire season of the T20 league.
“I don’t know what plan they have with (KL) Rahul, there certainly is a place for someone like Suryakumar Yadav. I have rarely seen somebody bat like that in the IPL for the whole season and even more, the kind of batsmanship we have seen.
“And makes him an ideal number three, he can hit good balls for fours, certainly one of the options,” Manjrekar added.
