Is Suryakumar Yadav’s non-inclusion in the playing XI for first ODI against Sri Lanka logical? | INDvsSL

Xtra Time Web Desk: There were a few eyebrows raised to see Suryakumar Yadav not included in the Indian playing XI for the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Suryakumar, who scored a scintillating hundred (112*) in the third and final T20I against the Lankans at Mumbai was not preferred for the ODI series opener against the Lankans.  

Team India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday did give a hint that in-form Suryakumar will have to warm the bench as Shreyas Iyer will be preferred over him. According to Rohit, “those guys who have performed in ODIs will get a run,”

Sky, who scored a blazing 112 not out in the third T20I at Rajkot will feel hard done by the team management’s decision, but the 32-year-old hasn’t scored a single fifty in his last 10 ODI innings. The cricketer from Mumbai has only managed 123 runs in the last ten matches. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer has amassed 473 runs in the last ten outings, including a century and three half-centuries.

Only option you could have included Suryakumar in the playing XI was to make KL Rahul open the batting. In that case it would have been unfair to drop Shubman Gill who has scored 638 runs in 12 matches since his return to ODIs, thereby making it difficult to snub him. Gill has a century and four half-centuries in 12 innings at an average of 70.88 and a strike rate of 102.57.

Suryakumar Yadav will have to wait for his turn to break into the playing XI in 50 overs format.

Despite scoring a double hundred in his last ODI, Ishan Kishan too did not find a place in the playing XI.

Here is India’s playing XI for the first ODI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal