The upcoming ODI series between India and New Zealand, set to begin on January 18th, has former Indian Test cricketer Wasim Jaffer weighing in on potential lineup changes for the Indian team.
With Shreyas Iyer out of the series due to a back injury, Jaffer suggests that Suryakumar Yadav should take his spot at number four, with Ishan Kishan coming in at number five and taking on the role of a wicketkeeper in KL Rahul’s absence.
Jaffer also believes that the pace-bowling unit should remain unchanged, but suggests that Washington Sundar should be the second spinner in the lineup, given New Zealand’s large number of left-handed batters.
He also believes that Shardul Thakur should be included in the team as a batting option at number eight. However, this would have to come at the expense of Umran Malik.
Despite Suryakumar’s impressive performances in T20I cricket, he has yet to establish himself in the ODI side due to a settled middle-order. He has played 17 ODIs so far and averages 29.84 with two half-centuries.
On the other hand, Thakur, who last played for India in the ODI series against Bangladesh, has a strike rate of 107.56 in ODIs and has 44 scalps from 31 matches, indicating that he could be a game-changer in the format.