3 reasons why India retaining Suryakumar Yadav for the West Indies ODIs is the right move

India announced their ODI squad for the upcoming tour against the West Indies, which will begin next month. The squad has a few surprises in the mix, with some talking points to be considered.

One of the main talking points has been the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) in the one-day setup. Having had most of his success in the shortest format, his inclusion in the ODI setup has been a talking point ever since he made his debut in 2021.

In 21 innings, he has only scored 433 runs with an average of 24.05. Numbers that don't do justice to the kind of quality he possesses. With India on the hunt for a reliable number four once again, there has been a debate around SKY, and whether he is the answer to that problem.

While he might or might not be the answer to India's number four issue, that is a different debate altogether. Here, we look at three reasons why his inclusion in the side for the West Indies ODIs is the right move for India.

---

#1 Suryakumar Yadav is a match-winner

It's undeniable that Suryakumar Yadav has all the talent in the world and has the qualities of a match-winner.

He has proven that time and again in the shortest format of the game with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and also for the national side.

He is also one of the most naturally attacking players in the squad. Considering that the rest of the top 5 or 6 are in the anchor mold of batters, SKY's inclusion gives the team an attacking option to put pressure back on the opponents.

---

#2 He offers flexibility in the batting order

As far as India's batting order goes, it's fairly rigid, especially at the top of the order. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli are cemented in the top three, so the team needs flexible options in the middle order, depending on the situation of the game.

With his ability to take on the spinners and pacers with ease, SKY could be the batter who provides in the middle overs of an ODI contest. A naturally attacking batter like Surya could help India inject some impetus in the middle overs.

---

#3 He can be utilized as a finisher

The flexibility Suryakumar Yadav offers in the batting order can be utilized even at the back end of an innings. With the third powerplay in effect, India need a reliable finisher to close out the innings for them.

Ravindra Jadeja is currently the only batter in that lower order who can bring that kind of firepower with consistency. Hardik Pandya is another batter who can be backed as a finisher but hasn't been able to do that in recent times.

Suryakumar can be used in a similar manner to how Australia has utilized Glenn Maxwell over the years, using his skillset based on the situation rather than trying to mold him for one particular role.