‘There is no IPL for one-dayers’ – Rahul Dravid opines on Suryakumar Yadav’s subpar performances in ODI format

Rahul Dravid and Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI and Fan Code)

Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has well established himself as one of the best batters in the shortest format in world cricket. His destructive knocks and unique batting style have made him one of the most feared batters in the world. However, despite his repertoire in T20Is, the 32-year-old has struggled to make an impact in the longest format and even ODI cricket as well.

Suryakumar Yadav made his ODI debut in July 2021, and ever since then, he has featured in 25 ODI matches for India, where he has scored 476 runs at an average of 23.8 runs with two half-centuries. He was also given the chance to feature in the ongoing ODI series between the West Indies and India. However, he has failed to impress so far, registering scores of 19 and 24 in the first two matches.

His subpar performances caught the attention of head coach Rahul Dravid, who came forward to give his take on Suryakumar’s ODI career. Coming to his defense, Dravid opined that Surya is a phenomenal player and is still learning the ropes of ODI cricket.

“Surya is a really good player, there is no doubt about that. He has shown that. Especially in T20 cricket, in domestic cricket, in white-ball cricket. He has some very good performances. He would be the first one to admit that his ODI numbers haven’t been up to the standards or the standards that he has set in T20,” Dravid said in the post-match conference.

“He’s also probably learning ODIs. He has played a lot of competitive T20 cricket through the IPL before he made his debut for India. In One-dayers he hasn’t played as much competitive cricket, because there is no IPL for one-dayers,” he added.

We want to give him as many opportunities as we can: Dravid

Furthermore, Dravid also opined that the Indian team will look to provide as many opportunities as possible to Suryakumar Yadav and that it is up to him to make the most of those opportunities that are provided to him.

“He’s also learning about his game, and learning to bat in the middle overs. He is a talent and we want to give him as many opportunities as we can. It is really up to him now to take those opportunities and use those opportunities. In the kind of setup we are, we give people as many chances as we possibly can,” Dravid said.