India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead the team in the five-match series at home against England. However, he is unhappy about his performance in the ODIs, which led to the star white-ball batter’s omission from the ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Ahead of the opening T20I of the series on Wednesday, Surya was asked at the pre-match press conference if not getting selected for the ODIs hurts.
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“Why would it hurt?” he replied. “If I do well, I would have been in the Champions Trophy. If I don’t do well, it’s important to accept that.”
Despite being recognised as one of cricket‘s most formidable T20 players with his innovative 360-degree batting, Surya’s prowess hasn’t carried over to the 50-over format, where his statistics reflect a modest 773 runs across 37 ODIs at an average of 25.76.
Adding to his reply on not being among the 15-member Champions Trophy squad, Surya said: “At the same time, if you see the squad, it’s looking really good. Whoever is there, they are all good performers. They have done relatively well in that format for India and also playing domestic cricket, and I am very happy for them.
“It hurts to think that I have not done well. If I had done well, I would have stayed there.”
Talking about Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami possibly reuniting in the Champions Trophy once again to hunt as a pair, Surya said the duo is a “lethal combination”.
Bumrah is not part of the T20I squad; and while he has been picked for the Champions Trophy, his availability will be decided after assessment of the back injury he sustained during the fifth Test on the tour of Australia.
“They have played a lot of cricket together. They are experienced bowlers. And whenever you play for India, it’s a different feeling, different emotion. So it will be fun to see them bowling together again, like we saw in the 2023 ODI World Cup. They bowled really well. And hopefully, we will see the same bowling in the Champions Trophy,” Surya concluded.
The T20I series against England will be followed by three ODIs, after which India will be seen in action in the ICC Champions Trophy that will run from February 19 to March 9.