Indian veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has called for Suryakumar Yadav to be included in India's ODI team and tried as a number six batter. Despite making only 110 runs in his last nine innings in ODIs, Karthik believes Yadav's talent is undeniable and wants to see him given the chance to prove himself in a different batting position.
Karthik believes that Yadav was not out of his depth in the ODIs against Australia and that the left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc bowled high-quality deliveries to dismiss him. He said that Yadav's ability to hit boundaries at will and turn the game on its head is a valuable asset that India should not overlook.
Karthik also suggested that India could move Hardik Pandya to the number four slot and play Yadav at number six. He believes that Pandya enjoys batting up top and has the skills to succeed at number four, while Yadav can make the most of the limited overs he gets in the middle order to unleash his batting prowess.
Yadav has been a consistent performer for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and has shown glimpses of his talent in T20Is. Karthik believes that he should be given a longer run in the ODI team to prove his worth.
With the series tied at 1-1, India and Australia will play the decider game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether India will take Karthik's advice and make changes to their batting lineup for the crucial match.