Indian great backs Suryakumar Yadav ahead of Asia Cup final
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer R Ashwin has come out in support of captain Suryakumar Yadav, ahead of the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. The match is scheduled for September 28 in Dubai. Despite Suryakumar's inconsistent performance in the ongoing tournament, Ashwin has urged him to continue playing his fearless brand of cricket without worrying about averages or external expectations.
Leadership comparison
'New brand of cricket'
In a recent YouTube video, Ashwin compared Suryakumar's current situation to Rohit Sharma's approach during his T20I captaincy. He said that impact often mattered more than numbers in this format of the game. "Regarding Suryakumar, people say his average dropped after captaincy. But with that, a new brand of cricket started," Ashwin said while stressing on the need for high-risk gameplay.
Performance analysis
Poor run in T20Is
Statistically, Suryakumar has struggled in his last 10 innings, scoring just 99 runs at an average of over 12. In this Asia Cup alone, he has managed just 71 runs in five matches. His last half-century came over a dozen T20I innings ago. However, Ashwin isn't too worried about these numbers as long as Suryakumar maintains a high strike rate.
Impact focus
Strike rate over average
Ashwin said, "If Surya averages 25 but strikes at 170, I'm much happier with that than him doing 40 at a lower strike rate." He stressed that T20 cricket requires impact, not average. The former cricketer also mentioned Suryakumar's recent dismissal against Sri Lanka as a reminder of his struggles and highlighted the need for better shot selection under pressure.