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Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer
Former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta said he would choose Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Shreyas Iyer in the first T20I against England. Suryakumar Yadav has been one of the most consistent performers for Mumbai Indians. The 30-year-old played a crucial role in the team’s 5th Indian Premier League title triumph last year. The right-handed batsman was rewarded for his exploits in IPL 2020 with a maiden international call-up for the Indian side.
On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer has been inconsistent with the bat for Team India in the middle order. The 26-year-old has accumulated 429 runs in 24 T20Is to date at an average of 26.81, with two half-centuries. Although his average goes up to 50 at No. 4 in T20Is, Dasgupta still opines that Suryakumar is better suited for that spot.
Suryakumar is the only uncapped Indian batsman to score 400 plus runs in 3 IPL seasons
The Mumbaikar is the only uncapped Indian batsman to score 400 plus runs in three consecutive IPL seasons. Yadav could be a great fit in India's middle order, as he can easily bat out the middle overs. Suryakumar Yadav averages more than 50 against spin in the middle overs, scoring runs at 7.7 runs per over. The Mumbai batsman also plays pace well and is capable enough to strike a balance between attack and defense.
With India skipper Virat Kohli announcing that KL Rahul will open with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will sit out, it might not be a surprise if the management picks both Iyer and Yadav in the team. Rishabh Pant, and Hardik Pandya can take the No. 6 and No.7 slots. If Hardik Pandya is not fit enough to bowl four overs, it might force Team India to play both Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. India will play against England in the first of five T20Is at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 12.
India T20 squad for England series
Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Tewatia, T Natarajan, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, and Shardul Thakur.