'Numbers Absolutely Bad, No Shame In Admitting': Star Player's Honest Confession

India vs West Indies 3rd T20I: Suryakumar Yadav won hearts by accepting that he has performed badly in ODIs and has no shame in accepting it.

IND vs WI: Team India's star middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as one of the best T20 batters of modern-day cricket. For almost a year, the right-hander has maintained his healthy lead at the top of the T20I rankings for batters but his form  in One-Day-Internationals has been pretty ordinary. Suryakumar has so far scored 511 runs with an average of just 24.33 in 26 ODI matches for India, with just two half-centuries, compared to 14 fifties and three tons in 51 T20Is. In his latest international outing, Suryakumar won player of the match award for his fiery knock (44-balls 83) that helped India beat West Indies in 3rd T20I, keeping the visitors alive in five-match T20I series.

What any star cricketer would rarely do, Suryakumar won hearts by accepting that he has performed badly in ODIs and has no shame in accepting it.

"To be very honest, my one-day numbers are absolutely bad and there's no shame in admitting that. We all talk about honesty and you have to be, but how you can improve is more important. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) sir have told me that this is the format that I do not play much so you have to play it more and think about it. If you are batting in the last 10-15 overs, think about what you can do for the team. It is in my hand now how to change the responsibility into an opportunity," Suryakumar Yadav said during post-match press conference after India's 7-wicket win.

Surya's latest innings against West Indies in the 'do-or-die' match might have raised his chances of bagging a spot in India's ODI World Cup 2023 squad.

Speaking about his ordinary form in ODIs, Surya said, "We have played a lot of T201s, so it's become a habit. We play T20 regularly, and all we need to do is express ourselves. But we do not play a lot of one-dayers, and ODI is a challenging format. This is because you have to bat as per the situation. For example, if wickets fall early, then you need to spend time in the middle (play like Test cricket), then in the middle play run a ball, and then towards the end, approach it like a T20 game."

"Now whatever the team management has told me that I am following and trying to apply in ODI cricket, to take my time, and then play my game." he said.