Suryakumar Yadav might play the opening Test between India and Australia, feels former head coach Ravi Shastri. The tour will start with a match on February 9 in Nagpur.
With Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer missing from the action, the management must be careful while selecting players for the middle order.
Shastri believes SKY’s attacking approach would prove to be a match-winning one on spinning tracks.
“Suryakumar Yadav might get a chance in the first Test, and he will play his natural game. He will be proactive against Nathan Lyon and look to score runs every time he is on strike. You can’t play maidens, and you will have to find ways to score runs,” he said.
“I think he will be instrumental in that position. He might play a cameo on a track that would favor spinners. His 30 and 40 could prove to be the difference in the game. India will be thinking in that fashion,” he added.
He played three innings for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2022-23 and scored 223 runs at a stunning strike rate of 95.70.