"He is lucky to be in that squad" - Tom Moody on Suryakumar Yadav's selection in India's 2023 World Cup squad

Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody has questioned Suryakumar Yadav's selection in Team India's 15-member World Cup 2023 squad announced on Tuesday, September 5.

Barring the inclusion of KL Rahul on fitness grounds, the squad selection did not have any major surprises. Most of the players from the Asia Cup squad were retained.

However, a key talking point has been the inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav despite his woeful ODI numbers, ahead of other middle-order contenders like Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo on the Indian World Cup squad, Tom Moody opined that the team management should have opted for the left-handed option of Tilak Varma.

"He is lucky to be in that squad purely because of the case that mounts against him for someone like Tilak Varma who gives you that left-hand batting specialist in the middle order who can bowl part-time spin," Moody said.

"It gives them flexibility around the Ishan Kishan discussion. Doesn't mean both of them can't play in the same side but it gives the flexibility that Rohit Sharma talked about quite regularly in the press conference," he added.

Although Tilak Varma is yet to debut for India in ODIs, he impressed in his maiden T20I series in the West Indies, scoring at an average of 57.66 and a strike rate of 140.65 in five games. The selection of the 20-year-old could have also added a second left-hander option in the middle order to go with Ishan Kishan.

While Suryakumar Yadav is the No.1 ranked batter in T20Is, his ODI numbers paint a different picture. In 26 ODIs, the 32-year-old has scored only 511 runs at an average of 24.33, with two half-centuries.

The destructive right-hander has been in particularly poor form this year in 50-over cricket, averaging a paltry 14.11 in 10 games.

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"Don't think they were able to resist the temptation of a Suryakumar Yadav" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Surya has been India's ultimate match-winner in the shortest format.

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the temptation of having Suryakumar Yadav as a match-winner with the bat in T20s was too irresistible for the selectors to ignore.

The Mumbai-born batter has been in incredible form in the shortest format, scoring runs at will. Surya has amassed over 1,800 runs in his T20I career at an average of 46.02 and a strike rate of 172.7.

"I don't think they were able to resist the temptation of a Suryakumar Yadav in 50-over cricket because of the kind of magic he has done in T20 cricket," Manjrekar said in the aforementioned video.

"The thing about Suryakumar Yadav is that he plays quality T20 innings, he plays it on the big stage. And if there's a situation similar to T20 cricket and the big stage in the World Cup, who can rule Surya playing a terrific unbelievable innings and getting India into a match-winning situation," he added.

Manjrekar also highlighted Suryakumar Yadav's ability to deliver the goods under pressure as a key reason behind his selection.

"It's just that his international 50-overs record isn't much and he hasn't played much and they are hoping that his temperament and experience comes into play on the big stage," Manjrekar continued.

"Rohit Sharma also talked about handling pressure which is one of the reasons why they want a Suryakumar Yadav with his skills, experience and the ability to handle pressure," he added.

The 32-year-old has also shown the ability to deliver on the big stage, as evidenced by his electrifying performance in the T20 World Cup last year. Suryakumar was the third leading run-scorer with 239 runs at an average of almost 60 and a strike rate of 190.

He also played a vital role in his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, winning back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, scoring over 400 runs each season.

Team India will kickstart their World Cup campaign against five-time champions Australia in Chennai on October 8.