ODI performance is poor, no shame in admitting it: Suryakumar

Providence (Guyana): With the ODI World Cup round the corner, explosive batsman Suryakumar Yadav has been asked by the Indian team management to bowl at least 45-50 balls in the death overs in this format of the game, though his record in it is modest and he has to “accept it”. There doesn’t even seem to be any shame in doing it. The batsman accepted his poor record in the 50-over game after his blistering 44-ball 83 powered India to a seven-wicket win over the West Indies in the third T20 International.

With this win, the Indian team remains in the five-match series. Suryakumar said in the press conference after the match, “My figures in ODIs are very bad and there is no shame in accepting it. Being honest is most important because everyone knows your record. “That is why it is important to be honest about your performance. But the most important thing is how you improve it.

Captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid have advised him to play more in this format. Suryakumar said, “Rohit and Rahul sir told me that I do not play much in this format, so you should play more in this and think about it. He said, “If you are batting in the last 10-15 overs, think what you can do for the team. All we want from you is to play 45-50 balls, if you are getting to bat for 15-18 overs then play your natural game.

Now it is in my hands how to convert this responsibility into opportunity. He could not make his presence felt in the ODI series against the West Indies, scoring 19, 24 and 35 in the three matches. So far, Suryakumar has played 26 ODIs and scored 511 runs at 24.33, a far cry from his 45.6 in T20 Internationals. He played 10 ODIs in 2023 and scored runs at an average of just 14 runs. Suryakumar said, “We have played a lot of T20 Internationals, so it has become a habit.

We play T20 regularly and all we need is to be able to express ourselves on the field. But we haven’t played too many ODIs and ODIs are the most challenging format. He said, “It is because you have to bat according to the conditions. For example, if wickets fall quickly, you should spend more time at the crease (play like Test cricket), then score one run a ball and play the last over like a T20 match. Suryakumar said, “Now whatever the team management has told me about this format, I am trying to implement it in ODIs only. Take some time, play according to the needs of the team and then show your natural game at the end. I will just try to live up to the expectations of the team management.