RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Suryakumar Yadav has admitted that he only has himself to blame for failing to establish a longer career in ODI cricket, despite becoming one of India’s most successful T20 batters. The former India T20I captain played 37 ODIs and scored 773 runs at an average of 25.76, numbers that never quite reflected the impact he had in the shortest format. His final ODI appearance came in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia, and he has not featured in India’s 50-over setup since. Suryakumar, who led India to T20 World Cup glory earlier this year, acknowledged that his ODI career remains a source of disappointment. Rather than pointing to selection calls or circumstances, he accepted responsibility for not doing enough to adapt to the demands of the format. “Hypothetically, we can say anything - that if I had come into the team in 2016, I could have played Tests and probably done well in ODIs too. But the reality is that I played only one Test and one innings. After that, the other players came back and started playing again, so it didn’t happen. But definitely, I am disappointed with myself when it comes to ODI cricket. “It was a white-ball format, just like T20s, but to be very honest, I personally feel I did not put in as much effort as I should have for that format," Suryakumar Yadav said on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel. Why Suryakumar found ODI cricket difficult
While T20 cricket has allowed Suryakumar to thrive with his aggressive strokeplay, he believes ODI cricket demands a far more calculated approach from batters. He described the 50-over game as the most difficult format for a batter because situations can change rapidly, particularly for those coming in at No. 4, 5 or 6. "I feel ODI cricket is probably the most difficult format to play as a batter, whether you are batting lower down the order or anywhere else. You can be two down for zero if you are batting at No. 4, or four down for 24 if you are batting at No. 6. Anything can happen. You have to bat almost like you do in a Test match. You see off the bowlers initially, give them respect and slowly build your innings. You may bat at a strike rate of 50 or sometimes 75, then take it to 100 and eventually finish at 130 or 140, much like you do in T20 cricket," he added. According to Suryakumar, the challenge was not simply about batting in a different format. He struggled to work out exactly how he needed to construct an innings in ODI cricket, particularly in the middle order. 'I did not put in the extra effort'
Suryakumar revealed that he knew he was likely to occupy a middle-order role, but failed to put the same level of preparation into ODI cricket that he now gives T20 cricket. “Personally, I feel I could not crack how to approach that format. I knew I was probably going to bat at No. 5 or 6, but even then, I did not work hard enough to understand the format. By the time I could blink, those 20-25 games had gone. I don’t even know when it happened or how it went by. And yes, I definitely regret not playing more ODI cricket. I wonder why I could not do better in that format. But no one is to blame. I take the blame myself because I did not put in the extra effort that I put in now when I play T20 cricket. If I bat for an hour, I will practise for an hour and a half," he said. Suryakumar's ODI career therefore remains one of the unfinished chapters of his international journey. Despite making a major impact in T20 cricket, he could not translate that success into the 50-over format before his run in the ODI side came to an end after the 2023 World Cup final.
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