Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Suryakumar Yadav demoting himself to number 11 in IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match ft. Sunil Gavaskar 

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side's Asia Cup 2025 group stage clash against Oman was always going to be about rotation and experimentation, since they already secured qualification into the Super 4 stage. However, the cricketing world was not prepared for the skipper's extreme measure of demoting himself to No.11 in the batting order for the sake of game time for others.

Along expected lines, Sanju Samson came out to bat at No.3 since he was yet to face a single ball in the entire tournament. The same logic applied to all-rounder Hardik Pandya as well at No.4. However, the surprise element began to kick in at this point since Suryakumar Yadav did not even step out at No.6, with the likes of Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, and Tilak Varma being sent in ahead.

Even towards the end, when India lost all of their recognised batters, the skipper hung back, pushing out the tail order instead for some exposure. He remained the sole batter that did not come out to bat as the Men in Blue finished on 188-8.

On that note, let us take a look at the top five expert reactions to Suryakumar Yadav demoting himself to number 11 in IND vs OMA Asia Cup 2025 match.

#1 Sunil Gavaskar

The legendary Indian batter hailed Suryakumar Yadav's 'innovative' thinking, particularly regarding the move to send the lower-order batters ahead of him during the death overs, as their exposure could come in handy for the team in the future.

"If he had batted for even one over, he could have hit a few fours and sixes and that would have been good for him. But the way he batted against Pakistan, may be does not need batting practice. He may have thought that Kuldeep Yadav's batting could come in handy if India lose quick wickets in one of the matches. Perhaps that's why he may have sent Kuldeep in to bat," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports Network.

"He is very unorthodox thinker. We saw in Sri Lanka that he himself bowled and also gave Rinku Singh the ball. He turned the game, which seemed to have slipped away, on its head and won India the match. He is an innovative thinker. May be that's why he did not bat and sent in Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh," he added.

#2 Rohan Gavaskar

The former India cricketer slammed Suryakumar Yadav's decision, terming it as pointless since a batter on the bench could have utilised the opportunity instead. He opined that rather than not turning up to bat, he might have rested himself as well, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy.

"What doesn’t register with me is, if Suryakumar Yadav isn’t going to bat clearly because he’s sent Arshdeep, Harshit, and Kuldeep all ahead of him, then he might as well take a rest. Give Rinku a go. You’re not going to bat, you’re not going to contribute with the ball. If that’s the whole thought process, then let Rinku have a game because it’s clear that you don’t want to bat. If you’re coming behind Arshdeep, Harshit, and Kuldeep, then take a rest, take a break, and that’s absolutely fine," Rohan Gavaskar said on Cricbuzz.

#3 Wasim Jaffer

The former India batter also opined that a batter on the bench should have been given a go, much like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were handed, if Suryakumar Yadav had intended not to bat over the course of the innings, and giving everyone else game time in the process.

"We also thought that if Surya wasn’t going to bat then he should have given an opportunity to either Jitesh or maybe Rinku Singh. But yeah, I mean, when these kinds of games come, the intensity drops and that is completely fine as long as you get a win. I mean if you lose a game like this, then obviously, it’s a shocking thing but they got the win, they’ll be happy. More than happy with that," Wasim Jaffer said on ESPN Cricinfo.

#4 Irfan Pathan

The former India all-rounder understood the rationale behind sending the likes of Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya ahead in the batting order since they have not had time out in the middle. However, he failed to understand why Suryakumar Yadav came out to bat when all the batters were dismissed.

"From one perspective, giving other batters opportunity and game time is absolutely right, but to not bat even after Kuldeep Yadav?" Irfan Pathan questioned on Sony Sports Network.

#5 K Srikkanth

The former World Cup winner highlighted India's ability to post a mammoth total even without Suryakumar Yadav's assistance in the batting department. Although the team slumped in the second half after a solid platform at one stage, they were still able to muster a highly competitive total on the back of some timely cameos.

"Suryakumar Yadav didn't even bat, Tilak Varma came down the order and with seemingly no one scoring much, we made 188 easily. They would have scored 225 or 250 otherwise. India has at least 16 players that can play in the 11. Even someone like Shreyas Iyer isn't able to breakthrough," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.