“Suryakumar Yadav has not been in form” - Ajinkya Rahane lists out three major factors ahead of T20I series vs NZ

Former Indian middle-order batter and analyst Ajinkya Rahane has revealed three aspects he would like to see in the forthcoming T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to start on Wednesday, January 21, in Nagpur.

Speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, Rahane has backed the Indian T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav to get back amongst the runs. Notably, SKY could score only 218 runs in his last 19 T20I innings with the highest score of 47.

Furthermore, Rahane also stated that he is keen to watch Sanju Samson back in the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma. Moreover, he added that Shreyas Iyer’s return is another key aspect to watch out for.

Notably, Iyer last featured in a T20I in December 2023 during the home series against Australia. He has been announced as a replacement for the injured Tilak Varma for the first three games against the BlackCaps.

“The three things that stand out to me ahead of this series are Surya’s batting, he has not been in form, and I am looking forward to Suryakumar Yadav coming into form just before the World Cup. Then it is Sanju Samson, I am really excited to see him back, and opening the batting with Abhishek Sharma. Then there is Shreyas Iyer’s return as well, he has been doing well in the IPL, in the last couple of seasons,” Ajinkya Rahane said on Cricbuzz.

“For Surya’s ability, those numbers are pretty low. I think he is putting too much pressure on himself as a batter and trying to do too many things. His attitude and intensity on the field has been fantastic. If he bats for a long period of time, he will do well, and if Surya does well, India will do really well,” Rahane concluded.

India squad for T20I series vs NZ: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (first three T20Is), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vc), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.

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