|| India Correspondent ||
As Team India are ready to take on England in the five-match T20I series, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta has said that he would love to see Suryakumar Yadav in place of Shreyas Iyer in the first T20I against England in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 12.
The veteran further said that Suryakumar, who has earned his maiden call-up in the T20I series against England, will better fit at No.4 position than Iyer, who bats in the middle order in the last few limited-overs series as well.
"I would play Suryakumar Yadav before Shreyas Iyer. It's just that at No. 4 in T20 cricket I think Suryakumar Yadav is better suited at this point in time," Dasgupta said to Sports Today.
However, Iyer did not have a good series against Australia but he was good in New Zealand last year. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has come into the side on the back of some amazing domestic and IPL performances last year as well.
Meanwhile, India captain Virat Kohli has confirmed that KL Rahul will open along with Rohit Sharma whereas Shikhar Dhawan will be out for the first game. However, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if both Iyer and Suryakumar will be picked on the side.
"India might go with Washington Sundar and 2 spinners because if Hardik is bowling then you can play 3 spinners. Washington can bowl in the first 6 overs so you don't need 3 seamers. They can still go with 3 spinners but I doubt they will. India might go with 2 spinners as of now because Hardik is not bowling," Dasgupta again shared.
"I think it's a 50-50 series to be very honest. If this would have been in England then obviously they would have been favourites. England overall, across all conditions might be a little ahead. The ICC rankings are a true reflection of where these 2 teams stand. Because India is playing at home that's the reason I'm saying 50-50," Dasgupta further added. "When you see them bat, irrespective of what they are chasing, you could see that in their body language. That is a huge change that has come in English cricket in the last 3 years."