Suryakumar scored 31 runs off 26 deliveries in the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. The Men in Blue posted a mammoth total of 349/8 on the back of Shubman Gill’s double century and eventually won the game by 12 runs.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif reckoned Suryakumar Yadav would be unhappy about his inability to carry his T20I form into ODIs, saying:
The former Indian batter highlighted that the two limited-overs forms of the game require slightly different skills, elaborating:
Suryakumar has smashed 1578 runs at an excellent average of 46.41 and an outstanding strike rate of 180.34 in 45 T20Is. On the flip side, he has aggregated 419 runs in 18 ODIs at an underwhelming average of 29.92.
“He has a weakness there” - Mohammad Kaif on Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal in 1st ODI vs NZ
Speaking about Suryakumar’s dismissal in the first ODI, Kaif opined that the Mumbai batter has a weakness against deliveries pitched outside the off-stump, explaining:
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by urging the Mumbai Indians (MI) player to improve on that front as he won’t be fed deliveries in his strong areas, stating:
Suryakumar looked comfortable in the middle and struck four fours during his 31-run knock. He chipped a length ball from Daryl Mitchell straight to Mitchell Santner at cover to end his 65-run fourth-wicket partnership with Gill.
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