India vs Pakistan, Cricket World Cup 2023: Why Suryakumar Yadav Can Be The X-Factor For Rohit Sharma And Co

The inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav in the Indian cricket team squad for Cricket World Cup 2023 was met with a lot of criticism from both experts and fans. The explosive batter made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and T20I matches but his form in ODI cricket left a lot to be desired. Be it the lack of consistency or how he paces his innings, a question mark always loomed over his prospects in the World Cup. However, back-to-back half centuries against Australia just ahead of the tournament proved to be a major confidence boost for him and against Pakistan on Saturday, he can prove to be the X-factor.

At present, there is no guarantee that he will even make the playing XI with the batter not featuring the first two matches of Cricket World Cup 2023. The Indian cricket team went with three spinners in the match against Australia and against Afghanistan, Shardul Thakur replaced Ravichandran Ashwin. However, heading to Ahmedabad, the conditions are going to be far more batter-friendly and it is that factor precisely that opens the gates for Suryakumar to finally make his debut in the competition.

The Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad has traditionally favoured batters and with Shubman Gill not a certainty due to illness, India may find themselves looking to boost the batting line-up. In Gill's absence, Ishan Kishan has taken his place as opener with Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya forming the middle order after Virat Kohli. However, Kishan and Iyer both failed to perform against Australia.

While the batters were back in good touch against Afghanistan, the bowling attack of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan will provide a significantly harder challenge. In that case, India may opt for