Sooryavanshi-Abhishek for ODIs: Yuvraj Singh wants India to take big step
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh believes India should give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan opportunities in ODIs. While Kishan has already played 32 matches in the 50-over format, Abhishek and Sooryavanshi are yet to make their ODI debuts.
Sooryavanshi and Abhishek were sensational in the Wellington T20I, combining to help India register the highest team powerplay score in T20I history, with 118 runs without losing a wicket.
Yuvraj said that by not picking players like Sooryavanshi, Abhishek and Kishan in the ODI setup, India were not doing justice to their talent. Earlier this year, Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest debutant during the tour of England, while Abhishek recently smashed a 35-ball century to help India take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the T20I series against New Zealand.
“I would love to see him (Abhishek) in the ODIs, to be honest, and I have said this before that if we are not picking guys like Ishan Kishan, Abhishek and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in 50-over cricket, then somewhere down the line we are not doing justice to their talent,” Yuvraj told PTI on the sidelines of the launch event of Protocol 32.
‘ABHISHEK HAS PUT IN A LOT OF HARD WORK’
India currently have Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma at the top of the ODI order, with Virat Kohli anchoring the middle order. Yuvraj said Abhishek had put in the hard yards over the years and deserved an opportunity in the team. However, he also acknowledged that the presence of several established players makes it difficult for the left-hander to break into the ODI side.
“I understand we have some great players and it is hard to make a spot for them. I think the way they (young batters) are performing, hopefully, they should be in the squad soon. Whatever he (Abhishek) has achieved is because of his hard work, and credit goes to him,” he added.
After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead, India suffered their first defeat of the series, going down by 87 runs at Eden Park in Auckland. Chasing a daunting target of 260, India were restricted to 172 for nine. Following the fifth and final T20I in Hamilton on Sunday, the two teams will shift their focus to a five-match ODI series, which begins on November 4.
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