Sachin bats for Surya, Shastri for Shubman

Nagpur, February 8

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Test cricket is indeed a different ball game but Suryakumar Yadav with his amazing skillset and the ability to think out of the box is “perfectly equipped” to play the traditional format, Sachin Tendulkar said.

“Whoever follows Surya, they fall in love with his ability and the way he thinks,” Tendulkar said. “Surya looks perfectly equipped to play Test cricket. Someone of his calibre should be considered along with KL Rahul and Shubman Gill. All three are capable enough to walk into the team,” he said.

However, former India coach Ravi Shastri wants Gill to be in the playing XI ahead of vice-captain Rahul. Shastri added that vice-captaincy should not guarantee a place in the playing XI.

“Obviously, you’d want to go with what you’ve been doing in the past, but form becomes critical. Someone’s hitting it real sweet and it’s coming out of the centre of the bat,” Shastri said.

Shastri also said that no one comes close to Yadav at No. 5 and the middle-order T20I batter should get his preferred position in the series.