Ricky Ponting has expressed his support for Suryakumar Yadav to be selected in India’s ODI World Cup squad despite his recent form slump. Ponting, a former Australia captain, suggested that he would have included Yadav in his squad if he was an Indian selector.
The Indian team’s top order is expected to feature Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. However, there are still openings in their middle order. Yadav struggled in the recent ODI series against Australia, recording three golden ducks in a row. Nevertheless, Ponting has advised India to show faith in the Mumbai batsman, as every player goes through a rough patch in their career.
“Yeah, absolutely. Everyone in their career goes through something like that. I mean, I’m not sure I have seen it before where someone’s got three first-ball ducks in a row in an entire series. But look, we’ve all been there. You have your ups and downs as international players,”
Ponting said.
We all know what Suryakumar Yadav can do: Ricky Ponting
Suryakumar Yadav’s ability to perform in crucial games, as evidenced by his impressive T20 performances, was emphasized by Ricky Ponting. The former Australian skipper suggested that India should persist with him since he is the type of player who can win a World Cup for them. Ponting compared him to Andrew Symonds, a match-winner in his own right.
“His previous 12 or 18 months have been absolutely outstanding. And everyone around the world knows what Surya can do in white-ball cricket. I feel they should stick with him because he’s the sort of player that can win you a World Cup,”
Ponting added.
“He might be a little bit inconsistent but he’s the sort of guy that in big moments can win you games. A bit like the late great Andrew Symonds did for Australia. So that’s definitely the way that I’d look at it for India. I wouldn’t be playing safe. I’d be going with match-winning players and I think he’s a match-winner,”
Ponting concluded.
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