Suryakumar Yadav's form is essential for India’s chances of winning the World Cup: Saba Karim

India clinched their first-ever T20I series against South Africa at home after defeating the visitors in the second T20I in Guwahati. While David Miller made the headlines for his glittering century in a losing cause, Suryakumar Yadav played another astonishing innings to set up the win for India. Former Indian selector Saba Karim has put down India's chances of winning the T20 World Cup on Suryakumar's form. 

While India's death bowling remains a concern heading into the T20 World Cup, the batting looks as accomplished as ever with Suryakumar Yadav's belligerence in the middle order. He is India's most in-form batter in the format and has stamped his authority in the team with numerous incredible innings since the turn of the year.

Former Indian cricketer and selector Saba Karim spoke about the importance of Suryakumar's form heading into the T20 World Cup in Australia later this month. Speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’, Saba highlighted the exceptional striking ability of the Indian batter in the middle overs.

“Well one thing I can say is – India’s chances of winning the World Cup depend largely on Suryakumar Yadav’s form and I say this because he plays in such a difficult position. In the middle overs, in the T20 format to play with such a high strike rate is not so easy but it comes so easy for Suryakumar Yadav because of his skill and experience, and he’s so dexterous."

"He’s got an uncanny ability to find the gaps in the right areas, at times he toys with the bowling and there are several vacant areas that he is able to exploit so easily. So yes Suryakumar Yadav, I hope and pray that he does well and continues with this form even in the World Cup,” Saba Karim said.

The Indian batting ace recently became the leading run scorer for the Men in Blue in T20Is in a calendar year. During the second T20I of the ongoing series against South Africa, the mercurial batter became the fastest to a thousand runs by the number of balls faced in T20Is.