Suryakumar Yadav Needs To Bat At No.3 For India In T20 World Cup 2024; Brian Lara Explains Why

New Delhi: Legendary Brian Lara opined that Suryakumar Yadav should bat at No.3 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024 next month and wished for a India vs West Indies finale. The T20 World Cup 2024 is happening in USA and West Indies starting from June 1. India are in the same group along with Pakistan. The other teams in the group are USA, Canada and Ireland. Usually, Suryakumar bats at no.4 for both India and Mumbai Indians.

Although India have match winners in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their ranks, Suryakumar’s role in the middle order is very crucial from the batting standpoint as he change the course of the game with his destructive batting. However, India have decided to keep young talents like Shubman Gill and Rinku Singh among reserves.

“My one advice, and I don’t know if you’re going to like it or not, but Sky has to bat at three. He just has to bat at three. He is one of the greatest T20 players in the game. And you speak to players like Sir Viv, and he will tell you he used to want to get out there in the middle,” Lara said in an interaction with PTI.

“And I feel that that’s the same thing with SKY. So, get in on it as quickly as possible. He’s not an opener, get him out there and if he can bat for 10-15 overs, you know what’s going to happen. He’s going to put you in an unassailable position if you bat him first, or he’s going to win the game if he’s batting second. And then let everybody sort of position themselves outside of that, but a good structure is important,” he explained.

If Suryakumar has to bat at no.3, Kohli will be required to open the batting with Rohit. In that case, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has to sit out. However, nothing of that sort is likely to happen. But Lara was adamant in his thought. “Just find a way to make Suryakumar bat at three,” stressed Lara.

Lara, who is currently doing commentary in the ongoing IPL 2024, also sounded confident on West Indies to do well in this edition. “The West Indies should do well. They have a lot of individual stars and when they come together as a team they do well. India, with all their cry over selection, they find themselves in the top four.

“England they seem to enjoy Caribbean a lot, lay on the beach a lot. England will be there and fourth spot, Afghanistan, they are capable of getting into the four,” he said. “India and West Indies final is going to make up for so much wrong that has happened in the past. India missing out in 2007 in second round, that killed us in the Caribbean. We don’t want that to happen again. So, India and West Indies in the final and may the best team win,” he added.