'Everyone has their ups and downs' - Ricky Ponting bats for Suryakumar Yadav's inclusion in India's ODI World Cup squad

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has supported out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav to be included in India’s ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 squad. Ponting stated that if he were an Indian selector, he will certainly include the right-hander among other players. Skipper Rohit Sharma, emerging opener Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli are likely to comprise India's top order. Meanwhile, there are a few spots available in their top six for the 50-over World Cup, which begins in October in India.

India's middle-order failed to produce a batting display in the recent ODI series against Australia. Suryakumar struggled in particular, creating an unwelcoming record of being dismissed for golden ducks in three consecutive innings. Notably, India lost the three-match series 2-1 at home.

Suryakumar has scored 172 ODI runs at an average of 12.28 since his previous ODI half-century in February 2022. However, Ponting has urged India to back the Mumbai batter, claiming that everyone goes through a lean spell at some point in their career. He went on to say that he has never seen someone get three first-ball ducks in a row, but every international player faces their ups and downs.

"Yeah, absolutely. Everyone in their career goes through something like that. I mean, I'm not sure I have seen it before where someone's got three first-ball ducks in a row in an entire series. But look, we've all been there. You have your ups and downs as international players," Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.

Everyone around the world knows what Suryakumar Yadav can do: Ricky Ponting

The former cricketer went on to highlight Suryakumar's tendency to win big games, highlighting his recent stellar performance in the T20 format. He believes that India should stick with him because he is the type of player who can win a World Cup for them. He also compared the India batter with Andrew Symonds, terming him a match-winner.

"His previous 12 or 18 months have been absolutely outstanding. And everyone around the world knows what Surya can do in white-ball cricket. I feel they should stick with him because he's the sort of player that can win you a World Cup," Ponting said. 

"He might be a little bit inconsistent but he's the sort of guy that in big moments can win you games. A bit like the late great Andrew Symonds did for Australia. So that's definitely the way that I'd look at it for India. I wouldn't be playing safe. I'd be going with match-winning players and I think he's a match-winner," he added.