With the ODI World Cup around the corner, Suryakumar hasn't really cemented his position in the Indian ODI playing XI and an underwhelming record in the format haunts him. The right-handed batter has played 26 ODIs and scored just 511 runs at not a very pleasing average of 24.33. His strike rate hasn't been a cause of concern at all as he has aggregated all those runs at an eye-catching rate of 101.38, with the help of two half-centuries.
The Mumbai-born batter has been consistently getting opportunities in the 50-over format since India's tour of New Zealand in November 2022 immediately after India's T20 World Cup 2022 campaign down under. Barring an unbeaten outing of 34, he couldn't achieve something substantial on the tour but the team management backed him and he kept his position in the playing XI intact.
The 32-year-old could only manage scores of 4 and 31 in the Sri Lanka series at home that followed. The series against Australia at home turned out to be a horrendous experience for Suryakumar as he fell for golden ducks in all three games of the series and hence he faced a lot of backlash on social media platforms when India announced its ODI squad for the three-match ODI series against the Windies and he found a place in the same.
In the form of the series against the Shai Hope-led side, the middle order batter had an invaluable opportunity to shut his critics by racking up runs at a healthy average. However, it wasn't meant to be as he returned scores of 19, 24 and 35 in the series and couldn't do his ODI World Cup chances a world of good.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Suryakumar acknowledged his "very poor" record in the ODI format and revealed that head coach Rahul Dravid and India skipper Rohit Sharma have advised him to play the format more.
"My ODI numbers are very poor and there is no shame in accepting that. Being honest is very important because everyone knows that, because we all talk about honesty.
"So it is very important to stay honest about your performance. But what is more important is how to improve that," said Suryakumar.
"Rohit and Rahul sir have told me that this is the format that I don't play much so you have to play it more and think about it.
"If you are batting in the last 10-15 overs, think what you can do for the team. All we want from you is to play 45-50 ball if you are getting to bat in the 15-18 overs, play your own game. It's in my hand now how to change the responsibility into an opportunity," he added.
