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Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina feels that the team will miss batter Suryakumar Yadav's "X-Factor" during the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, saying that the ground dimensions in Dubai would have suited the swashbuckling right-hander.
One of the most notable omissions from India's ICC Champions Trophy squad announced on Saturday was the T20I captain and India's 'Mr 360' Suryakumar, who last played an ODI during the ICC Cricket World Cup final 2023 at Ahmedabad, scoring a disappointing 18 in 28 balls. Speaking exclusively on Star Sports Press Room, Raina spoke on how Suryakumar would have dominated the game in middle overs and without him, the responsibility to score heavily will fall on the top three, skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, whose recent form has not been great. "When the team was announced yesterday, I was surprised. Suryakumar Yadav, who made a lot of noise during the 2022 World Cup, was not included. He is called "360" in white-ball cricket for a reason. He can play sweeps, change the game in the middle overs, and chase a run rate of 9. I believe Surya should have been in the team. In the middle overs, you need a player who can dominate the opposition. In Dubai, the dimensions of the ground vary--smaller at the point and front, bigger on the cover--which suits Surya's batting style," said Raina. "If he were included, the X-factor in the middle order would not be missing. Without him, more responsibility falls on the top three, whose form has not been great. The middle order becomes a key focus: will KL Rahul play there? Will Rishabh Pant bat higher? Will there be a left-right combination? Will Axar Patel bat up the order? If Suryakumar were there, he could have batted anywhere," he added. Despite his heroics in T20Is, which made him a world number one batter in the format, Suryakumar just could not crack the ODI code, scoring 773 runs in 37 matches and 35 innings at a disappointing average of 25.76, with a strike rate of 105.02. He scored four half-centuries, with best score of 72*. Despite a fine start to his ODI career, the batter fizzled out in the format quick because of his risky approach and lack of stability in his batting position. Suryakumar also had a poor 2023 World Cup, despite some flashes of brilliance in a patient 49-run knock against England on a testing surface and a quickfire cameo of 22 in 14 balls against South Africa. With 2,570 runs in 78 T20Is and 74 innings at an average of 40.79, four centuries and 21 fifties at a strike rate of 167.86, he is considered one of the finest T20I players ever. The India Squad for ICC Champions Trophy:Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja. India's Group Stage Fixtures:20 February - India vs Bangladesh, Dubai 23 February - India vs Pakistan, Dubai 2 March - India vs New Zealand, Dubai. (ANI)
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