"I don’t want him to open, I think number four is his best spot" - Ricky Ponting feels Suryakumar Yadav should feature in the middle order for Team India 

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that Suryakumar Yadav should bat at No. 4 for Team India in the T20 internationals. This is contrary to the management's recent strategy of featuring the flamboyant batter at the top of the order.

The right-hander was used as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma during the recently concluded five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Suryakumar Yadav's recent exploits for the national side have earned him a No. 2 spot in the T20I rankings for batters. This included a stunning century against England in India's 2-1 win in a three-match series.

Proving his mettle over the course of the last 12 months, the Mumbai-born batter is a certainty in India's 2022 T20 World Cup squad later this year.

While acknowledging the ace batter's prowess at the top of the order, Ponting wants him to be slotted into the middle-order.

In the latest edition of the ICC Review, the former Australian batter said:

"For Surya, it's one, two or four. I think he can open, but I think he's probably, you know, if you could probably just keep him away from the new ball, let him control the middle part of the game outside the Powerplay, through in the middle, and if he's in at the end, you know what can happen."

Ponting continued:

"I think in the top four is, well, actually I'll go out on a limb: I don’t want him to open. I think number four is his best spot,"

Suryakumar Yadav, 31, is only a couple of points away from the top spot among batters in the T20I rankings. Pakistan captain Babar Azam currently leads the pack with 816 points.

The top two batters in the format will come face-to-face in India's upcoming contest against their arch-rivals in the Asia Cup on August 28 (Sunday).

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"Suryakumar scores 360 degrees around the ground, a bit like an AB de Villiers did when he was in his actual prime" - Ricky Ponting

Suryakumar Yadav announced his arrival onto the international circuit with a mind-boggling hoick over fine-leg against England pacer Jofra Archer.

The unorthodox shot was just a mere glimpse of the batter's exemplary command over all corners of the ground. His wide array of shots makes it difficult for the captain to set fields and for the bowlers to decide on their areas.

Comparing him to legendary South African batter AB de Villiers, Ponting said:

"Surya (Yadav) scores 360 degrees around the ground, a bit like an AB de Villiers did when he was in his actual prime. The lap shots, the late cuts, you know, the ramps over the keeper's head. He can hit down the ground,"

The former Australia captain added:

"He hits really well over the leg side, flicks to deep backward square particularly well, and he's a good player of fast bowling and is a good player of spin bowling."

Where will Suryakumar Yadav feature in Team India's playing XI moving forward? Let us know what you think.