R.Sridhar admits he was surprised with Suryakumar Yadav opening the batting: There is something going on
India Today
Former India fielding coach R.Sridhar admitted that he was taken aback by the Indian team's decision to use Suryakumar Yadav as an opener.
Former India fielding coach R. Sridhar admitted that he was a bit surprised by India's decision to play Suryakumar Yadav as an opener during the ongoing T20I series against West Indies.
With KL Rahul being sidelined for the last two series, the Indian team decided to experiment a bit with their opening combination, as Rishabh Pant came in to partner Rohit Sharma in the final two games of the T20I series against England.
For the ongoing series, Yadav was used as an opener and it was a move that surprised many fans and critics. One of them was Sridhar, who said that he was a bit surprised about the move and he immediately checked to see if Pant was playing.
Speaking to Cricket.com, as quoted by Hindustan Times, the former fielding coach said there is something brewing in the Indian changing room that many aren't aware of.
"When I saw Suryakumar walking out to bat with Rohit, I was a bit surprised with that move. Immediately, I checked to see if Rishabh Pant was playing the game. And he was. So, obviously, there is something going on there which we don't know yet. There is something happening inside the Indian change room, which we are not aware about. Otherwise, I don't see this management chopping and changing batting order that easy, because they are known to back their players and give them opportunities to show their skills and prove their mettle. So I was quite surprised when Suryakumar walked in," said Sridhar.
Sridhar went on to say that he doesn't know why such a change was made and said the experiment with Yadav as an opener could be a stop-gap arrangement.
"I don't know the reason why this change was made. I really don't know. Maybe Rishabh didn't want to open. Maybe India are looking at another opening option. Obviously, KL Rahul was supposed to go for this series but he couldn't, owing to Covid and then travelling and getting used to the condition. It would have taken a lot of time so he chose to stay back. I am pretty sure this could be a stop-gap arrangement but like I said, there is probably something we don’t know," said Sridhar.
