3 reasons why Suryakumar Yadav's absence is a big blow to India ahead of T20I series vs SA

Suryakumar Yadav will not be available for Team India’s upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, beginning June 9. The middle-order batter suffered a left forearm muscle injury while playing for the Mumbai Indians (MI) against the Gujarat Titans in the recently concluded Indian Premier League season (IPL 2022).

He was ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2022 after picking up the injury in May and is now undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. In his absence, the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda could get a look-in.

But that doesn’t mean the team will not miss the presence of Suryakumar Yadav. Here are three reasons why his absence is a big blow:

#1 Suryakumar Yadav was picking up form in IPL 2022

After missing the start of the tournament, the right-handed batter announced his arrival with a 52-run knock against former side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He followed it up with a 37-ball-68 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Even as MI continued to struggle, Yadav remained one of the few positives for the five-time champions before the injury ruled him out for the rest of the tournament. He eventually finished the season with 303 runs in just eight matches at a strike-rate of 145.67 and an average of 43.29.

Considering the form he was showing in the IPL, the 31-year-old would have been a great asset for KL Rahul’s side against South Africa.

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#2 Solid start to international career

Suryakumar Yadav made his international debut in both the white-ball formats last year and has quickly grown into a crucial player for the side. He could also prove to be the solution to Team India’s long-term No. 4 issue.

In seven ODI matches, he has scored 267 runs at an average of 53.40 and a strike-rate of over 100. He already has two half-centuries in the format. Yadav has flourished in the T20Is as well, scoring 351 runs in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 165.56.

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#3 Provides solidity and can accelerate at will

Suryakumar Yadav wasn’t quite the lethal player during his KKR days that he has been with MI. He has improved significantly over the past two IPL seasons, working on his attacking game.

The middle-order batter is well equipped to provide solidity and arrest a collapse, and can also accelerate at will. His ODI and T20I strike-rates are proof that he can provide scoring impetus in the middle overs.

Team India squad for the T20I series against South Africa:

KL Rahul (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik