"Playing Test cricket will get Suryakumar Yadav another establishment in ODIs" - Suresh Raina

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has backed Suryakumar Yadav to play Test cricket in an endeavor to become an all-format player for India.

Yadav made his debut for India in T20Is in March 2021 during the home T20I series against England. It came after toiling in domestic cricket for a decade and embracing patience. Yadav's patience and determination paid off well as he was recently announced as the ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2022.

The Mumbai batter might have sealed his spot in the T20I team with an innovative mindset and consistency, but he isn't guaranteed a place in the ODI team. He was benched for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka. However, he played all three matches against New Zealand owing to an injury to Shreyas Iyer.

Suryakumar has amassed 5549 runs at an average of 44.75 in first-class cricket. He has been named in India's squad for the first two Tests against Australia in Nagpur and Delhi respectively.

Speaking to Aakash Chopra on Viacom18 Sports, Raina was of the opinion that SKY could score too many centuries as well as a double-hundred in Tests.

Raina said:

“The way he is performing, I think he should play in all three formats and without him, all three formats should not even exist. The way he performed, the way he shows intent, the way he plans different shots, he also plays fearlessly and knows how to use the dimension of the ground.”

He added:

“He is a Mumbai player, and he knows how to play red-ball cricket. I think he has a great chance – playing Test cricket will get him another establishment in ODIs and some stability as well. He will score multiple 100s and then 200s."

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"Why not reward domestic performances?" - Abhinav Mukund chose Sarfaraz Khan ahead of Suryakumar Yadav in Tests

Former Indian opener Abhinav Mukund had a contrarian view of Suryakumar Yadav's place in the Test side for the Australia series. The Tamil Nadu player preferred Yadav's Mumbai teammate Sarfaraz Khan in the red-ball format by virtue of his ascendancy in the Ranji Trophy over the years.

Mukund said:

"Why? Because why keep the Ranji trophy? Why not reward domestic performances? Sarfaraz Khan has been in insane form, I would have rewarded him with a cap for the Australia series at least. Suryakumar Yadav is exceptional in the T20 format. They want the same sort of belligerence from him in the Test side. But unfortunately, I’m the guy that follows hierarchy and Sarfaraz should be there.”

Suryakumar will next play in the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand. It will start on Friday, January 27, at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.