Saba Karim has expressed his preference for including Suryakumar Yadav in India’s World Cup 2023 squad over Sanju Samson, citing Yadav’s ability to change the game.
Karim recently selected his ideal Indian squad for the upcoming World Cup. Assuming Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are fit and available, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batter opted for Suryakumar as the backup middle-order batsman, choosing him ahead of Samson.
In an interview with News24 Sports, Karim was asked about his decision to pick Suryakumar over Samson, considering Suryakumar’s poor performance in ODIs this year. He responded by highlighting Yadav’s game-changing potential and his track record in T20s:
“I believe Suryakumar Yadav is a game changer. When comparing the two, Suryakumar Yadav has demonstrated a greater ability to win matches, as he has shown in T20s. I would always support such a player because he can turn the game in your favor even from a highly challenging situation.”
Karim pointed out that Suryakumar found his form during the IPL 2023 season, despite struggling in T20I matches leading up to the tournament:
“It’s true that he hasn’t scored many runs. Even in T20Is, he wasn’t performing well. However, he made a strong comeback and scored runs in the IPL. So it depends on how you support players and assign roles to them.”
Karim also emphasized the need for a clearly defined role for Suryakumar in ODI cricket:
“If you include Suryakumar in ODIs and expect him to score runs as he does in the Ranji Trophy, it’s not realistic. You have to assign him a specific role, similar to what he has in T20Is, which is why he is performing well.”
