“My one-day numbers are absolutely bad and there’s no shame in admitting that” - Suryakumar Yadav on ODI struggles 

Team India batter Suryakumar Yadav has conceded that his ODI numbers are extremely bad. He added that he has no shame in admitting the same as everyone is aware of the fact.

Suryakumar was the Player of the Match for his swashbuckling 83-run knock off 44 balls in the third T20I against West Indies in Guyana on Tuesday. The 32-year-old has produced brilliant numbers in T20Is - 1780 runs in 51 matches at an average of 45.64 and a strike rate of 174.33. His ODI stats are, however, in stark contrast - 511 runs in 26 games, averaging 24.33.

At a press conference following the third T20I against West Indies, Suryakumar made a candid confession on the disparity between his numbers in the two white-ball formats.

“To be honest, my one-day numbers are absolutely bad and there’s no shame in admitting that. Everybody is aware," he said.

The 32-year-old added that the team management has asked him to find a way to contribute to the team’s cause in ODIs. He stated that it’s up to him to turn the responsibility into an opportunity.

“We all talk about honesty and you have to be, but how you can improve is more important. Rohit (Sharma) and Rahul (Dravid) sir have told me that this is the format that I don’t play much, so you have to play it more and think about it. If you are batting in the last 10-15 overs, think what you can do for the team - all we want from you is, play 45-50 balls if you are getting to bat in the 15-18 overs, play your own game," he said.

“It’s in my hand now how to change the responsibility into an opportunity," Suryakumar added.

Suryakumar featured in all three ODIs against West Indies, registering scores of 19, 24 and 35. He failed in the first two T20Is as well, scoring 21 and 1, before his brilliant knock on Tuesday.

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“I find it the most challenging format” - Suryakumar on ODIs

Elaborating on his one-day woes, Suryakumar stated that he finds the 50-over format most challenging. He, however, asserted that he is trying to put into practice the advice he has received from the team management and is keen to repay their faith.

“We have been playing T20 format so much that I have gotten used to it. One-day is a format that I don’t play much and I find it as the most challenging format. You have to bat differently - if a wicket falls early, you have to bat a little like in Test cricket, then in between you try to accelerate ball by ball and towards the end, you have to bring in the T20 approach," Suryakumar said.

“So I have been trying to apply what the team management has told me so far about the format. I try to take some time in ODI as per the situation and then play my game towards the end. I will try to repay the faith," he added.

The right-handed batter is not concerned about India having only a handful of one-day matches before the 2023 World Cup in October-November. He confidently stated:

“We have 7-8 games before ODI World Cup. It’s enough for a team to prepare. We also have a camp before that where all the players will gather. We will try to win, hopefully.”

India will begin their World Cup campaign with a big game against Australia in Chennai on October 8.