Suryakumar at No.3: Irfan Pathan urges batting shake-up for IND vs ZIM

T20 World Cup: Irfan Pathan suggested that India captain Suryakumar Yadav should think about coming in at No.3 for India during their clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai. Pathan also said the hosts need Axar Patel back in the lineup but warned against making too many changes.

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has suggested that India should have Suryakumar Yadav come in to bat at No.3 during their do-or-die clash against Zimbabwe in Chennai. India have their backs against the wall following the loss to South Africa in their opening Super 8 clash in Ahmedabad. Their semi-final chances took another hit when West Indies thrashed Zimbabwe on Monday, February 23.

This means that the Zimbabwe game is one where the defending champions cannot afford a slip-up with the batting issues being exposed so far in the tournament. Abhishek Sharma's form has been under the scanner, while Tilak Varma has struggled to make an impact at No.3. Tilak has 107 runs from five matches with a strike-rate of 118.88.

India's top three are all left-handers at the moment and shake-up has been suggested. Pathan, however, feels the issue can be sorted with Suryakumar being put in at No.3 and Tilak coming in after him.

"Maybe Surya should bat at number 3. To actually take away those three left-handers coming one after the other and just change that monotony," said Pathan to the broadcasters.

Suryakumar has batted at No.3 for India in T20Is, scoring 864 runs in 32 matches with an average of 32 and a strike-rate of 158.53. He has scored a hundred and six fifties during this time.

Pathan said that India should bring back Axar Patel into the team given his ability with bat and ball, which went missing during the loss against the Proteas. While the former all-rounder suggested that there will be a temptation to try out Kuldeep Yadav and bring back Sanju Samson into the team, he doesn't want too many changes from the hosts during the Zimbabwe tie.