The SKY World Cup conundrum: Can Suryakumar Yadav produce the goods in a format he hasn’t mastered yet?

NEW DELHI: Was picking Suryakumar Yadav over someone like Sanju Samson or even young Tilak Varma in the ICC ODI World Cup squad the right decision? Despite the World No. 1 T20I batsman’s lean patch in the 50-over format, the selectors opted to include him in the 15-member squad for the highly anticipated ICC ODI World Cup 2023, set to take place in India, commencing on October 5.
After the India squad announcement, there was considerable debate over Suryakumar’s inclusion.
Selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma faced criticism for preferring Suryakumar over Sanju in the Indian squad for this prestigious event.
Samson has played 13 ODIs in his career so far and averages more than 55. He has three half centuries to his name.
On the other hand, Surya, also known as Mr 360 degree for his ability to hit the ball over the ropes with ease, averages 24.33 in 26 ODIs.

Surya’s last 7 ODI scores are – 14, 0, 0, 0, 19, 24 and 35 and by his own admission, he is yet to crack the ODI code.
However, despite the decent numbers under his belt, Samson was yet again overlooked by the Indian selectors.
With Surya managing to secure a place in the provisional 15, will the World No. 1 T20I batsman be able to replicate his T20I magic in the ODI World Cup too?

Former Australia captain Aaron Finch is someone who is very impressed with Surya. TimesofIndia.com spoke to Finch before the World Cup squad was announced.
“SKY is unbelievable. He’s literally got every shot in the book. There’s nothing that he can’t do. The versatility of the guy who ramps, reverse and switch hits just makes him so dangerous and so you can use him anywhere throughout the batting lineup,” Finch told TimesofIndia.com.
Suryakumar’s ability to play unorthodox shots and his premeditated approach in T20Is is simply outstanding. His ability to read a bowler before he hits the deck and then launch the ball across the fence makes Suryakumar a ‘special’ talent in the Indian cricketing fold.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
In 53 T20Is Surya has played, the right-hander has scored 1841 runs at an average of 46.02, including 3 centuries and 15 fifties.
Finch believes Surya has the ability to become an ‘impact player’.
“He can come in and have an immediate impact anytime on the game. I guess power hitters like Hardik Pandya are still there. But the guys around them (all teams) like SKY, like Steve Smith, Jos Butler these guys are all super important because they help structure up your team better as well,” Finch further told TimesofIndia.com.

India will kick off their World Cup campaign on October 8 in Chennai with a clash against Australia.
Having lost another WTC Final in June earlier this year, Team India will be eyeing the World Cup trophy to end their long ICC trophy drought.
The last time India won an ICC trophy was 10 years ago – the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. They last won the ODI World Cup in 2011, under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.