Addressing a press conference, Suryakumar Yadav cheekily responded to a Pakistan journalist questioning KL Rahul‘s form.
India qualified for the super 4’s of Asia Cup, 2022 after defeating Honk Kong on Wednesday. Initially struggling for the first 10 overs, India countered and trashed their death bowling by scoring more than a hundred runs in the last 10 overs. Suryakumar’s momentous knock of 68 from 26 and significant assistance from Kohli, helped India put up a massive target of 192. Inexperienced Hong Kong responded with some fierce intent and managed to attack India’s pace attack but fell short of 40 runs. Yadav was awarded man of the match for his game-changing knock.
Surya’s cheeky response to Pak journalist
While addressing the post-match press conference, a Pakistani journalist questioned Suryakumar about opening the innings with Rohit Sharma. Surya laughed and immediately countered him back by saying,
“Do you want us to drop KL bhai? See, he is returning from an injury and also needs time and we have some time right now“
He further added that he is flexible enough to play at any position as per the team’s requirements. Playing in the eleven is more important.
“As I have mentioned earlier, I am flexible and ready to bat at any number. I’ve informed the coach and the captain that I can play at any number given that they should ensure that I play”
Ever since his return to international cricket after recovering from injury, KL has been struggling to gain back his form. He got out on a duck in a high-pressure opening game versus Pakistan. India survived a scare and managed to cross the finish line in the last over thriller. Even during the match against Honk Kong, he played with a strike rate of less than 100. He was given the charge to lead the team against Zimbabwe in absence of Rohit. He failed to make his presence felt during the tour.
Rahul caught in the grip of criticism
KL Rahul is on the receiving end after fans and critics have slammed him for his debacle. His back-to-back failures are not helping the team to achieve its set plans. Him being in and out of the team due to injuries is not aiding him either. However, he received some backing from former cricketer and Lucknow Supergiants coach, Gautam Gambhir. He said KL has more ability than Rohit Sharma and nothing can stop him if he plays freely.
ICC T20 World Cup, 2022 is just a few months away. Youngsters like Shubhman Gill and Ishan Kishan are knocking on the doors of selectors for a while now and with such stiff competition, it will be challenging for Rahul to retain his spot in the team. Even though the team is not much worried right now but in a format like this, the room for error diminishes with each passing ball. He has an uphill task going forward having World Cup at stake.
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